TOP NEWS
Russia Plans To Create Core Of New Space Station By 2030
Russia is aiming to create the four-module core of its planned new orbital space station by 2030, its Roscosmos space agency said on Tuesday.
The head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, signed off on the timetable with the directors of 19 enterprises involved in creating the new station. The agency confirmed plans to launch an initial scientific and energy module in 2027. It said three more modules would be added by 2030 and a further two between 2031 and 2033.
Read more at: Reuters
Boeing’s Starliner Now Has 5 Leaks While Parked Outside the ISS
Following an iffy docking at the International Space Station last week, Boeing managed to deliver a pair of NASA astronauts to the orbital lab. The stressful Starliner saga continues as the crew capsule developed more leaks in its service module. NASA is currently evaluating its ability to return the duo back to Earth.
In an update shared on Monday, NASA revealed that the Starliner teams are assessing the impact that five helium leaks would have on the remainder of the mission. “While Starliner is docked, all the manifolds are closed per normal mission operations preventing helium loss from the tanks,” the space agency wrote.
Read more at: Gizmodo
SPACE HAZARDS and STM
Low-Intensity Explosion Caused Russian Satellite To Spew Debris
A Russian satellite likely suffered a “low-intensity explosion” that created hundreds of pieces of debris in low Earth orbit, according to one company’s analysis.
Both U.S. Space Command and private space situational awareness providers reported that Resurs P1, a defunct Russian remote sensing satellite, suffered a breakup event on June 26. That event created more than 100 pieces of debris that could be tracked by ground-based sensors.
Read more at: spacenews
Space Weather Forecasting Needs An Upgrade To Protect Future Artemis Astronauts
NASA has set its sights on the Moon, aiming to send astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2026 and establish a long-term presence there by the 2030s. But the Moon isn’t exactly a habitable place for people.
Cosmic rays from distant stars and galaxies and solar energetic particles from the Sun bombard the surface, and exposure to these particles can pose a risk to human health.
Both galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles, are high-energy particles that travel close to the speed of light.
Read more at: conversation
Astroscale Closes Within 50 Meters of its Space Junk Target
Space debris is a major problem for space exploration. There are millions of pieces up there in orbit from flecks of paint to defunct satellites. It is a known challenge to space exploration creating a shell of uncontrolled debris which could cause damage to orbiting craft or astronauts. A team at Astroscale have a spacecraft in orbit whose singular purpose has been to rendezvous with a defunct Japanese upper-stage rocket module. On arrival it is to survey the debris to test approach and survey techniques to ultimately inform how we can remove them from orbit.
Read more at: Universe today
NASA Predicts An Asteroid Has A 72 Percent Chance Of Hitting Earth
Read more at: yahoo
Family Whose Roof Was Damaged By Space Debris Files Claims Against NASA
The owner of a home in southwestern Florida has formally submitted a claim to NASA for damages caused by a chunk of space debris that fell through his roof in March.
The legal case is unprecedented—no one has evidently made such a claim against NASA before. How the space agency responds will set a precedent, and that may be important in a world where there is ever more activity in orbit, with space debris and vehicles increasingly making uncontrolled reentries through Earth’s atmosphere.
Read more at: arstechnica
COMMERCIAL SPACE
Here’s Why Spacex’s Competitors Are Crying Foul Over Starship Launch Plans
United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin are worried about SpaceX’s plans to launch its enormous Starship rocket from Florida.
In documents submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration last month, ULA and Blue Origin raised concerns about the impact of Starship launch operations on their own activities on Florida’s Space Coast. Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space company, urged the federal government to consider capping the number of Starship launches and landings, test-firings, and other operations, and limiting SpaceX’s activities to particular times.
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, called Blue Origin’s filing with the FAA “an obviously disingenuous response. Not cool of them to try (for the third time) to impede SpaceX’s progress by lawfare.” We’ll get to that in a moment.
Read more at: arstechnica
Firefly to Launch Alpha Rockets from Esrange in Sweden
irefly Aerospace has entered an agreement to launch its Alpha rocket from the Esrange Space Centre in northern Sweden.
The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and U.S. space transportation company Firefly Aerospace announced a collaborative agreement June 27 for launches of Firefly’s Alpha rocket from Esrange spaceport starting in 2026.
Launches will take place at Esrange Launch Complex 3C. Pad modifications are already underway, according to SSC. The Swedish side and Firefly aim to support commercial, civil and defense customers.
Read more at: spacenews
Alpha is going international! Together with @SSCspace, Firefly is expanding Alpha's launch capabilities to Esrange Space Center in Sweden starting in 2026. This new partnership will unlock a long-awaited capability for the European satellite market. Get the details here:… pic.twitter.com/9ZT0WK0iNk
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) June 27, 2024
SpaceX Will Attempt The First Commercial Spacewalk
This month, the burgeoning era of private spaceflight takes a big step forward. SpaceX is set to launch Polaris Dawn, its second all-civilian mission (after Inspiration4 in 2021) and the first in their Polaris program.
Originally announced in 2022, Polaris Dawn is designed to push the limits of SpaceX’s technology and help pave the way for a longer-term human presence in space. It’s the first of three missions funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, who also bankrolled Inspiration4. Although its launch date has been pushed back a few times over the years, it is now set to launch no earlier than July 12, 2024 according to a recent interview with Isaacman.
Read more at: popsci
Satellite ‘Megaconstellations’ May Jeopardize Recovery Of Ozone Hole
When old satellites fall into Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, they leave behind tiny particles of aluminum oxide, which eat away at Earth’s protective ozone layer. A new study finds that these oxides have increased 8-fold between 2016 and 2022 and will continue to accumulate as the number of low-Earth-orbit satellites skyrockets.The study is published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Read more at: phys.org
Rocket Lab Signs Record Deal for 10 Electron Launches with Synspective
Rocket Lab USA, Inc., a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced it has signed the largest Electron launch agreement in the Company’s history; a ten-launch deal with Japanese Earth observation company Synspective. The agreement was announced in Tokyo at an event attended by Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck, Synspective founder and CEO Dr. Motoyuki Arai and New Zealand Prime Minister, the Right Honorable Christopher Luxon, who is in Japan with a business delegation to deepen ties and accelerate growth in technology and other sectors.
Read more at: business wire
Starship Finds Success On Fourth Flight Test
Just over a year after the first integrated flight test, SpaceX successfully launched the fourth flight of Starship on Thursday. For the first time, Super Heavy completed a successful landing burn while Starship made it through reentry – despite extensive burn damage to a forward flap – and softly landed in the Indian Ocean. This marks a major step in the Starship program and paves the way for future, more intensive test flights.
Read more at: NASA spaceflight
SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY
Space Radiation Can Damage Satellites − My Team Discovered That A Next-Generation Material Could Self-Heal When Exposed To Cosmic Rays
The space environment is harsh and full of extreme radiation. Scientists designing spacecraft and satellites need materials that can withstand these conditions.
In a paper published in January 2024, my team of materials researchers demonstrated that a next-generation semiconductor material called metal-halide perovskite can actually recover and heal itself from radiation damage.
Metal-halide perovskites are a class of materials discovered in 1839 that are found abundantly in Earth’s crust. They absorb sunlight and efficiently convert it into electricity, making them a potentially good fit for
Read more at: space.com
China Stakes Claim on ‘Dark Side’ of Moon
China’s latest lunar mission has begun the process of carrying back samples from the “dark side” of Earth’s natural satellite, a world first.
After collecting its samples, the Chang’e-6 craft raised a small Chinese flag in another first. The ascending component of the lander detached and headed to its specified orbit at 7:38 a.m. Beijing time, the China National Space Administration (CNPA) said.
Read more at: newsweek
Why Does Spaceflight Destroy Astronauts’ Red Blood Cells?
When the first astronauts returned from space in the 1960s, their health assessments revealed something unexpected. Besides significant loss of muscle and bone mass, they were anemic — meaning their blood contained a lower-than-normal amount of red blood cells.
This phenomenon, known as “space anemia,” seems to be an unavoidable part of space travel. It happens to everyone who ventures beyond Earth’s atmosphere. But decades later, scientists still don’t fully understand the process.
Read more at: discover magazine
France, China Launch Satellite In Attempt To Explore The Universe
A satellite developed by France and China has blasted off on a hunt for the mightiest explosions in the universe, in a notable example of cooperation between a Western power and the Asian giant.
On Saturday, the 930kg (2,050-pound) satellite carrying four instruments – two French, two Chinese – took off at about 3pm (07:00 GMT) aboard a Chinese Long March 2C rocket from a base in Xichang, in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Read more at: Aljazeera
NASA Selects International Space Station US Deorbit Vehicle
NASA is fostering continued scientific, educational, and technological developments in low Earth orbit to benefit humanity, while also supporting deep space exploration at the Moon and Mars. As the agency transitions to commercially owned space destinations closer to home, it is crucial to prepare for the safe and responsible deorbit of the International Space Station in a controlled manner after the end of its operational life in 2030.
NASA announced SpaceX has been selected to develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle that will provide the capability to deorbit the space station and ensure avoidance of risk to populated areas.
Read more at: NASA
Spacewalk Suits Are Decades Old. NASA Just Canceled Plans For New Ones Due
The iconic puffy white suits that astronauts have donned for decades as they step outside the International Space Station are rapidly aging — but NASA is now without concrete plans to replace them.
The space agency announced Wednesday that it’s abandoning contracts worth more than $100 million with Collins Aerospace — a division of RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, and a longtime NASA partner — to develop next-generation spacesuits.
Collins and the space agency “mutually agreed” to end the deal, which had committed the company to deliver the spacesuits by 2026, according to NASA.
Read more at: CNN
SPACE POLICY
Kazakhstan Joins China’s ILRS Moon Base Program
Kazakhstan has signed a memorandum on cooperation on the China-led ILRS and will also explore commercial use of each other’s spaceports.
The agreement was signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kazakhstan July 3, which saw the signing of 30 documents between the two sides. The development further bolsters China’s lunar exploration plans.
Read more at: spacenews
ESA Council Decisions Set The Stage For More Diverse European Launch Services
The Vega launchers joined the ESA-developed launchers family with its first flight in 2012 and started commercial exploitation in 2015. Vega-C, a more powerful version of Vega with a larger fairing made its debut in 2022. Both variants are built under the responsibility of prime contractor Avio and have been exploited by Arianespace.
“ESA Member States are finalising the changes needed to the framework governing the exploitation of ESA-developed launchers to allow for Avio to become Vega launch service provider, ‘says Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA Director of Space Transportation, ”With today’s decisions, ESA Member States are ensuring continuity while allowing Avio to market the Vega launch services from now on.”
Read more at: ESA
NASA Administrator Weighs In On China’s Historic Lunar Far Side Samples — And Potential US Access
The government of China now possesses something that no other humans have ever encountered — rocks and soil from the far side of the moon.
The successful return of the Chang’e-6 lunar mission with the historic cache on June 25 was a scientific coup that further solidified China’s place as one of the world’s top space powers, rivaled only by the United States.
Read more at: CNN
FAA, NASA Seek Public Input On Spacex Starship Launches At The Kennedy Space Center
The Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to gather public input on SpaceX Starship launch operations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The request for comments comes about a month after the conclusion of an environmental review of a 100-acre expansion for SpaceX at its Hangar X site.
The pair of projects highlight an ongoing ramp up of activity for a company that aims to launch more than 140 Falcon launches by the end of 2024, most of them from Florida’s Space Coast.
Read more at: spaceflight now
ESA Takes First Step To Modify Georeturn Policies
European Space Agency member states have taken a step towards modifying long-standing policies that award contracts for agency programs based on the size of each country’s financial contribution.
At a briefing June 19 at the conclusion of an ESA Council meeting, agency officials said members had agreed to a “first step” of changes to geographic return, or georeturn, policies for its programs. Under georeturn, funds that member states provide to ESA programs are returned in the form of contracts to companies in those countries.
Read more at: spacenews
Blue Origin Files Public Comment Asking FAA To Cap Spacex Launches
The Jeff Bezos-owned space exploration company Blue Origin has filed its latest legal action against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, this time requesting that an airspace regulator limit the number of launches the Musk-led company can perform in Florida.
Blue Origin filed a public comment last week recommending that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) put a limit on how many launches SpaceX can perform with its Starship Super Heavy (Ss-SH) booster and rockets at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The filing comes as a part of the ongoing preparations of a Proposed Action Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from the regulator.
Read more at: teslarati
“Sue Origin”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 25, 2024
SPACE DEFENCE
North Korea Nearly Hits Own Capital in Failed Missile Test
An abortive North Korean missile fired on Monday may have endangered the nation’s capital after the South’s military said one of the rockets fell short of its intended target.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said it detected two short-range ballistic missiles fired 10 minutes apart—at 5:05 and 5:15 a.m. local time—from the Jangyon area in North Korea’s southwestern province of South Hwanghae. The North Korean Embassy in Beijing did not immediately return a written request for comment.
Read more at: newsweek
Blue Origin, SpaceX, ULA To Compete For $5.6 Billion In Pentagon Launch Contracts
The U.S. Space Force has selected Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance for the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 launch services program. The three companies won contracts potentially worth $5.6 billion over five years, the Pentagon announced June 13.
The three companies will compete for orders over the contract period starting in fiscal year 2025 through 2029. Under the NSSL program, the Space Force orders individual launch missions up to two years in advance. At least 30 NSSL Lane 1 missions are expected to be competed over the five years.
Read more at: spacenews
LeoLabs Chosen to Provide Advanced Radar Systems for U.S. Government
LeoLabs has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Phase II contract worth $1.245M to develop S-band 2-D Direct Radiating Array (DRA) technology to address key challenges for the Department of the Air Force (DAF). The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process, accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal-to-award timelines, expanding opportunities to small businesses, and reducing bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvements in contract execution.
Read more at: spacedaily
Russian Spy Satellite Reportedly Continues Suspicious Maneuvers
A Russian inspector satellite known as Luch 2 is on the move again, continuing its pattern of unusual maneuvers that have raised eyebrows in the space intelligence community, the space tracking firm Slingshot Aerospace said June 27.
Slingshot reports that the satellite, which has been in orbit for just over a year, has been positioning itself near several communications satellites in what appears to be an ongoing signals intelligence-gathering mission.
Read more at: spacenews
Turion Wins Space Force Contract For Debris-Capture Technology
Turion Space, an Irvine, California-based startup, has secured a $1.9 million contract from SpaceWERX, the U.S. Space Force’s technology arm, to develop an autonomous spacecraft docking and maneuvering system. The contract aims to advance technologies for engaging uncooperative space objects and facilitating the deorbit of inactive satellites.
Ryan Westerdahl, Turion’s co-founder and CEO, said in an interview that the company is focusing on in-space mobility and non-Earth imaging.
Read more at: spacenews
VARIOUS
ILR-33 Amber 2K Makes History as Poland’s First Rocket to Reach Space
The Łukasiewicz Institute of Aviation has made history with the launch of its ILR-33 Amber 2K rocket from the Andøya Space Centre in Norway.
The ILR-33 Amber 2k rocket was launched on its first space shot on 3 July from the Norwegian launch facility. Powered by a hybrid core stage and two solid-fuel boosters, the rocket reached an altitude of 101 kilometers, which is above the generally accepted boundary separating Earth’s atmosphere from outer space, known as the Kármán Line.
Read more at: european spaceflight
New Threat To Ozone Layer Posed By Industry NZ Hopes To Lead
An ever-increasing number of dying satellites are burning up in the atmosphere, a number that will only rise with the construction of “mega-constellations” like Starlink: an industry the Kiwi-founded Rocket Lab hopes to capitalise on.
Most of a satellite disintegrates upon re-entry, and all that material has to go somewhere. A research letter published by the American Geophysical Union tracked a 29.5 percent increase in atmospheric aluminium across 2022 contributed by de-orbiting satellites; all up, they injected 17 metric tons of aluminium oxides into the mesosphere. From here, that aluminium can fall into the stratosphere – home to the ozone layer.
Read more at: newsroom NZ
What Happens if a Nuke Goes Off in Space?
The auroras over Hawaii on the night of July 8, 1962, were unlike any that humans had ever witnessed. “N-Blast Tonight May Be Dazzling; Good View Likely,” read a headline in the Honolulu Advertiser beforehand. Nine seconds after 11 P.M., a startling flash set the sky aglow like eerie daylight, slowly fading from green to yellow to orange before settling on a vivid, unsettling red.
Read more at: scientific american
NASA Says Voyager 1 Is Fully Back Online Months After It Stopped Making Sense
Voyager 1, the farthest human-made craft from the Earth, is finally sending back data from all four of its scientific instruments, NASA said this week. That means the agency is once more receiving its readings on plasma waves, magnetic fields, and space-bound particles.
Voyager 1 stopped sending back good data in November, and fixing it was fraught as engineers had to wait 45 hours to hear anything back. In April, the agency got it to start sending back health and status information, then science data from two of its instruments in May.
Read more at: Verge
We All Will Be Very Proud If ISRO Has Ability To Send Head Of State To Space: ISRO Chief S Somnath
ISRO has been gearing up for its first human mission Gaganyaan that is likely to launch in a couple of years. In an interview with NDTV, when asked about sending the Prime Minister to space in an Indian vehicle from Indian land, the ISRO Chairman stated, “All of us will be very, very proud if we have the ability to confidently send the head of state to space.”
He added, “While he [PM Modi] certainly has many other, more critical responsibilities, developing a human spaceflight program is a capability we’d like to cultivate. This mission is designed to contribute to Gaganyaan space program, particularly the astronaut training program for the International Space Station (ISS). The experience gained will be instrumental in building our capacity in this domain.
Read more at: business today