January 21, 2025

South American Space Programs: No Cooperation, No Gains (Source: Space Daily)
Why is there no space cooperation for binational missions in South America? The economy and the weak astropolitical culture help to better understand the issue. Of the 10 South American nations, 7 of them developed space missions between 2004 and 2020. A period of relative prosperity in South America during the commodities boom. Currently, all the main regional economies are struggling, reflected in the low rate of new missions.

There are no space nations in South America. Argentina has a technological advantage over Brazil in satellite construction, and also has innovative companies such as Satellogic that commercialize high-resolution images. The portfolio of both Argentina and Brazil includes GEO, SAR, and EO satellites, which makes them self-sufficient in the production of satellites for all their needs, but both countries fail to develop and finance consistent space policies that project them as solid partners at the international level.

Peru and Colombia are currently developing plans to build satellites. Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Venezuela need to replace missions at the end of their useful life. These nations will probably choose technological and scientific partners with greater reputation and leadership in North America, Europe, and Asia. Argentina and Brazil fail to build regional reputations that allow for win-win cooperation in the space industry in South America, and all countries in the region lose out. (1/21)

Hadrian’s Plan to Fix Space Manufacturing (Source: Payload)
Hadrian, a California-based advanced manufacturing startup, launched a new program today to help companies more effectively manage their supply chains. The program, called Atlas, aims to make the space industry’s fragmented supplier landscape easier to navigate. With hundreds of manufacturing shops around the country—each with varying cost structures, capabilities, capacities, and quality standards—innovations from space startups run the risk of stalling due to inefficient supply chains.

The new tool combines a vetted supplier network with supply chain management and DFM (design for manufacturing) software, providing startups with a single point of contact for their entire supply chain. Instead of rebuilding their own supply chains as they grow, startups using Atlas can rely on Hadrian’s team of buyers and field representatives to do the legwork, freeing up resources to focus on their core products. (1/21)

Space Stocks Soar as Trump Suggests Mars Goal (Source: Barron's)
Details are thin, but the aspiration should benefit Elon Musk’s SpaceX and a bevy of publicly traded commercial space stocks. “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars,” Trump said. It is a chance for companies to win new business from NASA. In midday trading, shares of Rocket Lab, Intuitive Machines, and Redwire gained 30%, 24%, and 51%, respectively.

Shares of traditional space companies and NASA suppliers got a small boost too. Boeing and Lockheed Martin shares were up 2.6% and 3.3%, respectively. Gains added about $5 billion in market value to the three smaller capitalization space stocks. Gains added about $7 billion to the market value of the two established aerospace and defense players. (1/21)

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Reactor Fuel That Could Take Humans To Mars Tested At NASA Facility (Source: IFL Science)
Anew type of nuclear thermal propulsion reactor fuel has been successfully tested at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, with hopes that the fuel could take humans to Mars in the not-too-distant future. Getting to the Red Planet, as things currently stand, will be a long-haul mission. Mars is, on average, 140 million miles from Earth. "Rather than a three-day lunar trip, astronauts bound for Mars would be leaving our planet for roughly three years," NASA explains, adding that such a mission would require the crew to be self-sufficient for long periods of the trip. (1/21)

First Fast Radio Burst traced to Old, Dead, Elliptical Galaxy (Source: Phys.org)
For the first time, astronomers have traced a fast radio burst (FRB) to the outskirts of an ancient, dead, elliptical galaxy—an unprecedented home for a phenomenon previously associated with much younger galaxies. Detailed in two complementary studies led by Northwestern University and McGill University, the discovery shatters assumptions that FRBs solely emanate from regions of active star formation. The new observational evidence, instead, hints that the origins of these mysterious cosmic events might be more diverse than previously thought. (1/21)

Nammo UK Engine Aboard US Lunar Lander Ignites for the First Time (Source: European Spaceflight)
The LEROS 4 rocket engine, developed by Nammo UK, has successfully ignited in space, powering the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lunar lander. On 19 January, Firefly Aerospace announced that the company’s Blue Ghost lunar lander had successfully fired its RCS thrusters and main engine for the first time, coming to within 2 millimeters per second of its target delta-V. The planned burn increased the spacecraft’s perigee. The main engine powering the Blue Ghost lunar lander’s journey to the Moon is the LEROS 4 from Nammo UK. The standard LEROS 4 engine produces between 900 and 1,100 newtons of thrust. However, Blue Ghost is equipped with the LEROS 4-ET (Extra-Thrust) variant. (1/20)

How President Trump Could Change NASA (Source: Space.com)
As the new Trump administration takes the reins in the White House, there is feverish speculation about how its policies will reshape NASA's direction and priorities, as well as the wider space sector. Swift and profound changes could impact a number of areas of space, such as the future of the agency's Artemis moon program, which rockets are favored or canceled, funding levels for Earth and climate science and the very operation of NASA itself.

One of the big issues — with potentially seismic implications for NASA's direction, America's relations with its international space partners and geopolitics — is the future of the Artemis program. Artemis, established by the first Trump administration with the goal of returning humans to the moon, and continued by the outgoing Biden presidency, is years behind schedule, with scrutiny surrounding delays and technical issues. Click here. (1/20)

Trump Sees Mars Destiny, Confusion on NASA Leadership (Source: Space News)
The second Trump administration started Monday with calls to send humans to Mars but also confusion about who was running NASA. In his inaugural address, President Trump said the U.S. would pursue its "manifest destiny" by "launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars," but did not set a timetable to do so or provide other details.

As Trump took office, NASA updated its website to list Jim Free, the agency's associate administrator, as its acting administrator with the departure of Bill Nelson. However, later in the afternoon the White House said that Janet Petro, the director of the Kennedy Space Center, would serve as acting administrator. NASA confirmed late Monday that Petro was the acting administrator but didn't explain why Free was originally listed in that position. The White House also formally nominated Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator on Monday, a post that requires Senate confirmation. Trump had said in December he planned to nominate him to lead the agency. (1/21)

Europe's Thales Alenia and Hispasat to Develop Quantum Tech for GEO (Source: Space News)
Two European companies have secured government funding to develop a geostationary payload that uses quantum technology to distribute encryption keys. Satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space and operator Hispasat said Tuesday they obtained $108 million in European COVID-19 recovery funds to develop the first quantum key distribution (QKD) platform operating from GEO. QKD leverages the quantum properties of photons to create encryption keys that cannot be intercepted without altering their state. The new project builds on ongoing efforts to test QKD technologies in low Earth orbit communications. (1/21)

China Plans Power Beaming to Lunar Craft (Source: Space News)
China is planning to examine the feasibility of using lasers to transmit power to spacecraft on the surface of the moon. Researchers at Chinese institutes, in a recent paper, concluded that it could be feasible for satellites in orbit around the moon to beam power to the surface using lasers. That could enable spacecraft on the lunar surface to operate through the two-week lunar night and in permanently shadowed craters at the poles, where sunlight is not available for solar power. The paper concluded, though, that issues such as efficiency, transmission ranges, visibility and operational challenges stand in the way of effectively utilizing laser power transmission. (1/21)

Chinese Astronauts Perform TSS Spacewalk (Source: Xinhua)
China astronauts performed a spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station Monday. Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong spent eight and a half hours outside the station during spacewalk that ended at 12:12 p.m. Eastern Monday. The two installed space debris protection devices and performed an inspection of the station's exterior. This was the second spacewalk by the Shenzhou-19 crew since arriving at the station last fall. (1/21)

Falcon 9 Launches Starlink Satellites at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Spaceflight Now)
A Falcon 9 launched a set of Starlink satellites overnight. The rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 12:24 a.m. Eastern and placed 21 Starink satellites into orbit. Notably, the launch webcast started late and did not show telemetry from the launch or views of the upper stage, raising suspicions the launch carried additional, classified payloads. (1/21)

China's Galactic Energy Launches Ceres-1 with Four Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
A Ceres-1 rocket launched five satellites Monday. The solid-fuel rocket, operated by Chinese company Galactic Energy, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 5:11 a.m. Eastern. It placed into orbit four satellites for the Yunyao-1 constellation that collects navigation satellite radio occultation data for weather forecasting and JTX-A-05, a satellite with a hyperspectral camera. (1/21)

Doorbell Camera Captures Meteorite Impact (Source: AP)
A doorbell camera captured a celestial intruder. The camera on a door of a house in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island witnessed the impact of a tiny meteorite on the walkway leading up to the house last summer. The family who lives in the house was not home at the time of the impact but noticed dust and debris on the walkway when they returned, prompting them to check the doorbell camera. The footage is believed to be the first to capture both the sight and sound of a meteorite impact. (1/21)

The Satellite Eavesdropping Stations of Russia’s Intelligence Services (Source: Space Review)
Russia’s intelligence services operate a network of ground stations to listen in on satellite communications. Bart Hendrickx discusses the history and current status of those facilities. Click here. (1/21)
 
Tales of Two Rockets (Source: Space Review)
On the same day last week two companies performed test flights of heavy-lift rockets they have been developing. Jeff Foust reports on the launches and the contrasts in vehicle design and development approaches. Click here. (1/21)
 
Surveyor Sample Return: the Mission That Never Was (Source: Space Review)
NASA’s Surveyor program landed several robotic spacecraft on the Moon in the 1960s. Dwayne Day examines one study to look at using Surveyor for a lunar sample return mission. Click here. (1/21)
 
India Demonstrates Space Docking (Source: Space Review)
Last week, two Indian spacecraft docked with each other in low Earth orbit, a first for the country. Ajey Lele describes the milestone and its importance to India’s future space plans. Click here. (1/21)

Sidus Space Appoints New CFO to Spearhead Strategic Financial Initiatives (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced the appointment of Adarsh Parekh as its new Chief Financial Officer. Most recently, Mr. Parekh served as Chief Financial Officer of Terran Orbital Corporation and directed all finance and accounting functions. (1/21)

KSC Director Petro Becomes Acting NASA Administrator, Manning Takes Acting Role at KSC (Source: Space Policy Online)
In a move that surprised even NASA officials, the Trump Administration has named Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro to be Acting Administrator. Ordinarily the job goes to the top civil servant in the agency, Associate Administrator, currently held by Jim Free. Petro is the first woman to serve as Acting Administrator. NASA says KSC Deputy Director Kelvin Manning will serve as acting KSC Director. (1/21)