TOP NEWS
Elon Musk shares Starship Flight 5 Super Heavy rocket inspection results after the landing catch
SpaceX was more than ready for the 5th Starship launch and landing test as it received the license on Saturday and performed the test on Sunday morning.
The iconic scenes of the Starbase launch tower arms (Chopsticks) catching the Flight 5 Super Heavy booster will not get old anytime soon. No government or private space companies have attempted this maneuver before in the history of spaceflight. SpaceX did it right the first time. Catching a giant 70-meter steel structure mid-air is a phenomenal achievement by the SpaceX team led by Elon Musk.
Read more: teslaoracle.com
Top ‘safety risk’ for the ISS is a leak that has been ongoing for 5 years, NASA audit finds
A long-running leak is the top “safety risk” affecting the plan to keep astronauts on board the International Space Station until 2030, a new NASA audit found. The affected area, found in the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS), has been leaking for five years and poses no immediate threat to astronauts, NASA officials have said.
“Not an impact right now on the crew safety or vehicle operations, but something for everybody to be aware of,” ISS program manager Joel Montalbano said in February 2024 when the leak increased to 2.4 pounds per day, up from a historic low of 0.2 pounds per day.
Read more: space.com
SPACE HAZARDS and STM
Strong Solar Flare Erupts from Sun
The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 6:20 p.m. ET on Oct. 1, 2024. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event.
Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. This flare is classified as an X7.1 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.
Read more: blogs.nasa.gov
Brightness of first Chinese broadband constellation satellites alarms astronomers
The first satellites of a Chinese broadband constellation are significantly brighter than those of Western systems, posing a new challenge for astronomers.
In a paper posted on the arXiv preprint server Sept. 30, a group of observational astronomers reported on observations of a set of 18 Qianfan, or “Thousand Sails,” satellites launched in August. The satellites are the first of a constellation that may ultimately consist of more than 14,000 satellites.
Read more: spacenews.com
No simple answers for debris mitigation
National and international debris mitigation standards and policies are evolving rapidly to keep pace with increasingly complex space operations. With several large constellations poised to take flight and many new spacecraft operators, “we’ve got some real challenges that we need to get ahead of,” Marlon Sorge, executive director of the Aerospace Corp. Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies, told SpaceNews at the International Astronautical Congress here.
Debris mitigation and remediation are popular topics at IAC 2024, where the theme is “Responsible Space for Sustainability.” Researchers are presenting dozens of papers on debris detection, tracking and related legal, policy and economic considerations.
Read more: spacenews.com
Boeing: Here’s what we know about the Oct. 19 failure and breakup of the Intelsat 33e satellite
The Oct. 19 failure and breakup in geostationary orbit of the Boeing Satellite Systems-built Intelsat IS-33e satellite bears a superficial resemblance to the sudden failure in 2019 of IS-29e, which was also a Boeing 702MP model.
The situation continues to evolve. The US Space Force’s initial identification of about 20 objects from the IS-33e breakup is now moving to about 40, raising issues for satellites along the geostationary arc. Boeing issued the following responses on Oct. 21 to initial questions about the failure.
NASA’s Pioneering Solar Sail Hits a Snag While Tumbling in Space
A microwave-sized spacecraft with large silver wings is tumbling in orbit as engineers work to fix a glitch that’s causing it to lose orientation.
COMMERCIAL SPACE
ULA hasn’t given up on developing a long-lived cryogenic space tug
The second flight of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, planned for Friday morning, has a primary goal of validating the launcher’s reliability for delivering critical US military satellites to orbit.
Tory Bruno, ULA’s chief executive, told reporters Wednesday that he is “supremely confident” the Vulcan rocket will succeed in accomplishing that objective. The Vulcan’s second test flight, known as Cert-2, follows a near-flawless debut launch of ULA’s new rocket on January 8.
Read more: arstechnica.com
Blue Origin launches 2nd human-rated New Shepard rocket, nails landing
Blue Origin launched its second human-rated spacecraft on Wednesday (Oct. 23) after a more than two-week delay.
Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company launched its uncrewed NS-27 mission at 11:30 a.m. EDT (1530 GMT) today, sending a brand-new New Shepard rocket-capsule combo on a brief trip to suborbital space. No people launched aboard NS-27, but the mission flew 12 research payloads, five of them on the booster and seven inside the capsule. The rocket reached a maximum altitude of around 332,000 feet (101 kilometers) before returning for a landing around seven minutes and 20 seconds later.
Read more: space.com
Startup takes new approach to space-based solar power
Aetherflux announced Oct. 9 plans to develop and ultimately deploy a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit that will collect solar power and beam it to Earth using infrared lasers. The company is planning to demonstrate this technology with a small satellite launching by early 2026.
The concept is a departure from many previous concepts for space-based solar power (SBSP), which have involved large arrays in geostationary orbit. Those systems would transmit their power using microwaves to large rectennas on the ground. Such concepts have been studied for more than half a century but have not advanced beyond the drawing board.
Read more: spacenews.com
Satellite Launch for Amazon’s Starlink Rival, Project Kuiper, Delayed Again
Once again, Amazon must postpone launching its first production satellites for Project Kuiper, the company’s rival to Starlink.
The e-commerce giant is now targeting “early 2025” for the launch, according to an updated blog post from the company. The satellites were previously scheduled to fly in the first half of 2024 before being pushed to Q4.
Read more: pcmag.com
Vast Space Unveils Its Plan to Replace the International Space Station
NASA’s competition to select a commercial replacement for the International Space Station has one more contender. On Sunday, Vast Space revealed its plans to construct an ISS replacement that it will call Haven-2.
The Long Beach, California, startup is pitching this proposal for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program as a spinoff of the Haven-1 private space station that it announced last May and plans to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than August 2025.
Read more: pcmag.com
Xichang to build commercial spaceport to boost China’s launch capacity
China’s inland Xichang launch center is set to build a commercial spaceport, aiming to enhance the country’s access to space.
Liangshan Prefecture, in which Xichang Satellite Launch Center is situated, and Sichuan Development (Holding) Co., Ltd. held a ceremony Oct. 9 for the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement and the unveiling of Sichuan Development International Commercial Spaceport Co., Ltd., according to a Liangshan Daily report.
Read more: spacenews.com
SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY
Ocean experts raise concerns over deorbiting the International Space Station
NASA is faced with the challenge of safely deorbiting, in one fell swoop, over 400 tons of space hardware in a few years. As of now, the agency plans on deorbiting the International Space Station in early 2031 by dragging it back toward Earth and dumping it into an isolated patch of the Pacific Ocean — an idea that has scientists and environmental watchdogs ringing alarm bells.
As recently reported by the NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG), the orbital outpost is plagued by ongoing wear-and-tear issues, such as cracks and air leaks, after decades of use.
Read more: spacenews.com
Dragon receives long-planned propulsive landing upgrade after years of development
SpaceX announced a new capability for the Dragon spacecraft on Sept. 27 in the unlikely event of a parachute failure. Dragon now has built-in redundancy to propulsively land using its SuperDraco thrusters, saving the vehicle and potential crew from a rough landing or imminent danger.
SpaceX introduced the concept of a propulsive landing Dragon over ten years ago. When SpaceX revealed Dragon 2, it was marketed as capable of propulsively landing anywhere on Earth and was initially designed to land exclusively with the SuperDracos. However, SpaceX ultimately pursued the use of parachutes as the main form of recovery for Dragon 2 missions.
Read more: nasaspaceflight.com
OroraTech raises 25 million euros for satellite wildfire detection system
OroraTech has raised 25 million euros ($27.3 million) to build the next phase of a satellite constellation for monitoring wildfires and to expand its business.
The Munich-based startup announced Oct. 15 that it raised the Series B funding round, led by Korys, the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF), and existing investor Bayern Kapital.
OroraTech is developing a constellation of small satellites equipped with thermal cameras designed to rapidly detect wildfires and alert first responders and others. The company currently operates two satellites in low Earth orbit but has plans for a constellation of up to 100 such satellites.
Read more: spacenews.com
Astronomers Push FCC to Halt New Starlink Launches, Citing Environment
A group of 120 astronomers and space experts is calling for a pause on new Starlink launches from SpaceX until the US can fully investigate the environmental effects of large satellite constellations.
“We can have affordable internet for everyone without surrounding our globe with tens or hundreds of thousands of disposable satellites that could harm our environment,” the group says.
In a letter to the FCC, the astronomers voiced concern about the rise of “mega constellations” from companies racing to develop low-Earth orbiting satellite communication systems.
Read more: pcmag.com
ESA Selects Four Companies to Develop Reusable Rocket Technology
The European Space Agency has selected Rocket Factory Augsburg, The Exploration Company, ArianeGroup, and Isar Aerospace to develop reusable rocket technology.
On 9 October, ESA held its Future Space Transportation Award Ceremony in Paris. During the event, the agency announced the four awardees under two initiatives focused on the development of reusable rocket technology: the Technologies for High-thrust Reusable Space Transportation (THRUST!) project and the Boosters for European Space Transportation (BEST!) project.
Read more: europeanspaceflight.com
SPACE POLICY
US FAA grounds SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket after second-stage malfunction
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Monday said SpaceX must investigate why the second stage of its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket malfunctioned after a NASA astronaut mission on Saturday, grounding the rocket for the third time in three months.
After SpaceX on Saturday launched two astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA, the rocket body that had boosted the crew further into space failed to properly re-light its engine for its “deorbit burn,” a routine procedure that discards the booster into the ocean after completing its flight.
The astronaut crew carried on to the ISS safely, docking on Sunday as planned. The FAA said there were no injuries or property damage linked to the booster mishap.
Read more: channelnewsasia.com
FAA authorizes SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle for Monday flight
SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket can return to flight for a mission planned for Monday to launch the European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft from Florida, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Sunday.
Elon Musk’s company, which has engaged in a public quarrel with the FAA in recent weeks, said on Sunday it is planning the liftoff for 10:52 a.m. ET (1452 GMT) from Cape Canaveral.
“The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle is authorized to return to flight only for the planned Hera mission scheduled to launch on Oct. 7 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida,” the FAA said on Sunday.
Read more: cnbc.com
SpaceX Says It Will Lose $4 Million Per Day If Starship Launches Are Suspended By Court
n its response to a lawsuit by the environment group Save RGV, SpaceX argues that halting Starship tests in Texas will cost the firm millions of dollars daily and risk its ability to earn revenue and milestone payments for agreements that it has signed with the Air Force and other bodies. SpaceX’s water deluge system for the Starship Super Heavy booster requires releasing copious amounts of water to cool the pad during launch, and in its complaint filed yesterday, Save RGV sought the court to stop SpaceX from using the deluge system until its claims were addressed.
Read more: wccftech.com
China received funding from Nasa, Congressional report suggests
China’s military may have received a boost from Nasa-funded research, according to a Congressional report.
The report, by the Republican members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said Beijing could have used the research to further its submarine and surveillance programmes.
The committee claimed more than 1,000 research papers had been jointly published by US and Chinese institutes with financial support from Nasa. Dozens of them involved people affiliated with China’s Seven Sons of National Defence, a group of universities with ties to the ministry of industry and information.
Read more: telegraph.co.uk
Fighting space junk: More than 100 partners sign Europe’s ‘Zero Debris Charter’
The European Space Agency (ESA) is making strides in its efforts to boost space safety and sustainability.
ESA is promoting the Zero Debris Charter, which aims to increase international efforts and cooperation to solve Earth’s growing space junk problem. And the agency now has attracted well over 100 signatories to the charter, following a ceremony at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan, Italy, on Oct. 14.
Read more: space.com
Chile and Cyprus sign the Artemis Accords
Chile and Cyprus are the latest nations to sign the Artemis Accords for sustainable space exploration, part of surge of new signatories this month.
At a ceremony at NASA Headquarters Oct. 25, Aisén Etcheverry, Chile’s minister of science, technology, knowledge and innovation, signed the Accords on the behalf of that country. The ceremony was attended by Chile’s ambassador to the United States as well as NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Jennifer Littlejohn, acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs of the State Department.
Read more: spacenews.com
SPACE DEFENCE
US, Allies Launch Spy Satellites, Alliances to Prevent a Space War
Don’t get left behind. That was the message from US and European military and government officials at last week’s Defence Space 2024 conference. They gathered in London to lay their cards on the table about collaboration across the space sector and the threats that Western countries face from Russia and China.
Cyberattacks, GPS jammers and space debris from these competitors pose serious threats, US Space Command General Stephen Whiting said in a speech.
Read more: bloomberg.com
Why Space Force chose commercial firms to build its new ground system
The Space Force wants to transition the first of its space domain awareness satellite programs to a new cloud-based ground system as soon as next spring — and rather than work with a traditional defense contractor, it’s formed a consortium of small, commercial firms to help it modernize satellite operations.
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office in September awarded initial contracts to 20 small businesses who will compete for $1 billion worth of task orders over the next five to seven years.
Read more: defensenews.com
The expanding battlefield: Army’s push into space warfare
As the boundaries of warfare continue to extend beyond traditional battlegrounds, the U.S. Army is making strides into the space domain.
With satellite capabilities now vital to military operations, the Army is launching initiatives to bolster its space warfare expertise and develop technologies to counter adversaries’ orbital assets. While not intended to rival the Space Force, this move highlights what officials describe as an increasing synergy between ground and orbital operations.
Read more: spacenews.com
SpaceX secures new contracts worth $733.5 million for national security space missions
SpaceX has been awarded contracts for nine launches under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 program, the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command announced Oct. 18.
The contracts worth $733.5 million span seven missions for the Space Development Agency (SDA) and two for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) projected to launch in late 2025 and 2026. These are part of the NSSL Phase 3 procurement of launch services for U.S. defense and intelligence agencies.
Read more: spacenews.com
Space Force awards Northrop Grumman $1.8 billion contract extension for missile warning satellites
The U.S. Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $1.8 billion contract extension to begin production of two advanced early warning satellites designed to detect missile threats, particularly those approaching from the Northern Hemisphere.
These satellites are part of the military’s Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) program, a defense initiative aimed at enhancing missile threat detection from space.
This latest contract modification, announced Oct. 23, brings Northrop Grumman’s total value for the project to $4.1 billion, following a $2.3 billion contract awarded in 2020 to develop the two satellites.
Read more: spacenews.com
VARIOUS
NASA Seeks Innovators for Lunar Waste Competition
A new NASA competition, the LunaRecycle Challenge, is open and offering $3 million in prizes for innovations in recycling material waste on deep space missions.
As NASA continues efforts toward long-duration human space travel, including building a sustained human presence on the Moon through its Artemis missions, the agency needs novel solutions for processing inorganic waste streams like food packaging, discarded clothing, and science experiment materials. While previous efforts focused on the reduction of trash mass and volume, this challenge will prioritize technologies for recycling waste into usable products needed for off-planet science and exploration activities.
Read more: nasa.gov
Why there’s a rush of African satellite launches
To date, a total of 17 African countries have put more than 60 satellites into orbit and, along with Senegal, both Djibouti and Zimbabwe have also watched their first satellites become operational during the past 12 months. Dozens more African satellites are expected to go into orbit in the coming years.
And yet, the continent currently has no space launch facilities of its own. Plus, powerful countries elsewhere in the world are arguably using nascent African space programmes as a means of building relationships and asserting their geopolitical dominance more broadly.
Can more African nations chart their own way into orbit – and beyond?
Read more: bbc.com
Elon Musk’s mission to Mars could RUIN the Red Planet, scientist warns – as the SpaceX CEO reveals plans to set up a city there by 2054
This week, Elon Musk made the staggering claim that a city of one million people will be thriving on Mars within 30 years.
Now, a leading scientist has warned that Musk’s plan could prove disastrous.
Professor Andrew Coates, a physicist and Mars researcher from UCL, argues that human settlers would contaminate the planet and jeopardise the search for alien life. He claims humanity should only send a single astronaut to Mars if we ever want to learn the truth about life in our solar system. Speaking on the Today Programme, Professor Coates said: ‘The last thing we need to be doing is taking life from Earth to Mars. Robotic exploration is the way to go.’
Read more: dailymail.co.uk
What happens if someone dies in space?
As a space medical doctor who works to find new ways to keep astronauts healthy, I and my team at the Translational Research Institute for Space Health want to make sure space explorers are as healthy as they can be for space missions.
Here is how death in space would be handled today: If someone died on a low-Earth-orbit mission – such as aboard the International Space Station – the crew could return the body to Earth in a capsule within a matter of hours.
If it happened on the Moon, the crew could return home with the body in just a few days. NASA already has detailed protocols in place for such events.
Read more: yahoo.com
Blowing up: Inflatable space habitats could be key to exploring the solar system
It’s high time to crank up the volume in space! That’s the shout from several private firms that want to see an inflation factor for the future. What is now being evaluated and tested is the use of “softgoods” to fashion inflatable/expandable airlocks and off-Earth habitats, not only for low Earth orbit, but also to provide comfy housing forfuture moon and Mars explorers.
First, however, there’s a memory lane trip about this idea worth taking, one that also underscores how far things have evolved.
Read more: space.com
NASA Is Generating Far More Economic Growth Than Its Budget
Forget space tourism and commercial spaceflight. NASA wants to remind you that it can still generate mega money for the economy — in addition to providing all the extremely valuable science it does, of course.
According to its latest economic impact report, the cumulative effect of NASA efforts, ranging from lunar missions to technology development, generated over $75.6 billion in US economic output in 2023.
For reference, that’s nearly three times NASA’s allocated budget for that year, $26.4 billion — a convincing rebuff to critics who argue that the space agency receives too much public money in an era of private space companies.
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