Activism, Roundup

Space policy roundup – Dec.21.2020

A sampling of links to recent space policy, politics, and government (US and international) related space news and resource items that I found of interest (find previous space policy roundups here):

International space

Webcasts:

** China Aero & Space Weekly News Round-Up – Episode 12 (14th -20th Dec. 2020) – Dongfang Hour – YouTube

Topics discussed include:

1) Long March 8 Launch on Sunday 20/12
2) Chang’e-5 Return to Earth
3) New JV between China Eastern, Juneyao Group, and China Telecom
4) Baidu is Considering Making its own Electric Vehicle

** David Buehler – How Is CHPS [Cislunar Highway Patrol System] Going To Benefit Space Force? – Cold Star Technologies – YouTube

Captain David Buehler of the Air Force Research Lab’s Space Vehicles Directorate is on the Cold Star Project to talk about the CHPS program. The CHPS program will monitor cislunar space, extending to 272,000 and beyond: a 10X reach in range and 1000X increase in volume. With host Jason Kanigan, Capt. Buehler discusses:
– Why is cislunar space of interest to the AFRL?
– What is CHPS?
– Why has the AFRL chosen to develop CHPS?
– What are some of the technical challenges with Space Domain Awareness in cislunar space?
– Why don’t TLEs work in cislunar space?
– What are some long term benefits to the Space Force for develping CHPS?

** The Space Show – Tuesday, Dec.15.2020 – Robert Zimmerman responded to “Many callers” and discussed “multiple topics, a few 2021 predictions”.

** The Space Show – Friday, Dec.18.2020 – Dr. James A. Vedda and Karen Jones discussed their paper on space based solar power,  Space-Based Solar Power: A Near-Term Investment Decision (pdf), for the Center For Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corp.

** E45 – NASA’s Artemis Roadshow (with Jim Vedda and Mike Gold) – Aerospace Corp – Center for Space Policy & Strategy (CSPS)

https://vimeo.com/489529341

** Why Do We Need “A Robotic Space Station for the 2020s”? – Gordon Roesler – Cold Star Technologies – YouTube

Past DARPA program manager and Robots In Space founder Dr. Gordon Roesler is on the Make Space Boring News show to share some details about his new paper, A Robotic Space Station for the 2020s. Why do we need this space infrastructure, and why now? Dr. Roesler’s paper: https://coldstartech.com/rssroesler

** Space Café WebTalk – Prof. Steven Freeland – 24. November 2020 – spacewatch. global – News Room – YouTube

In this week’s Space Cafè WebTalk, Prof. Steven Freeland, Professor of International Law, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia talked about the Multifaceted Nature of Space and the Role / Rule of Law. Prof. Steven Freeland talked about:

Australia’s initiatives on the commercial space side,
National law – what are the important issues to consider for each country and why?,
International law – how the initiatives of one or several countries can be an input to broader discussions and why we need broad ‘buy in’ on the really big issues,
Civil Society – how industry, academia and broader civil society have important voices on space in many ways?
Prof. Freeland also answered relevant questions from the audience.

This Space Cafè WebTalk, held on 24 November 2020, was hosted by Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global.

** Flocks of Satellites, Virtualized Constellations and the Tenet of Interoperability – Constellations Podcast

Listen to Jeff Guido talk about Planet, a company founded by three NASA scientists in a garage. Learn about a “flock” of small satellites imaging the entire Earth’s land mass every day, delivery data images almost instantaneously over the Internet. How is that possible? Jeff discusses vertically integrating a cloud-based imaging platform and the digital transformation of the industry. They are both key to getting remote sensing data immediately out to the market, helping everyone from small farmers to governments optimize their resources. Jeff talks about managing large numbers of satellites by getting them to work in concert through automation and interoperability. Learn about the difference between CMOS and push broom cameras and how the imagery obtained from those cameras can be analyzed to detect change. Finally, what is a virtual constellation and why is it important?

** December 15, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

** December 18, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

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Saturn as seen by Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera
Saturn as seen by Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera.

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Videos: “Space to Ground” + Other ISS reports – Dec.19.2020

Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:

** ISS 20th Anniversary Panel: Trailblazing International Partnerships – NASA

The International Space Station is one of the most ambitious international collaborations ever attempted, and is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that provides humanity a one-of-a-kind proving ground for Artemis as we go forward to the Moon and on to Mars. International collaboration in space exploration serves as an unparalleled and inspiring example of what humanity can do when it comes together to achieve a common goal for the common good. NASA’s partnerships with the Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Roscosmos aboard the space station have led to an unprecedented continuous human presence in space for nearly 20 years. In recognition of the 20th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station, listen as Space Foundation Board Member Jeanne Meserve sits down the International Space Station partner leaders as they discuss what it has taken to keep this global partnership successful. Joining the conversation is the International Space Station Partner Leadership consisting of Joel Montalbano of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Sergei Krikalev of Roscosmos, Luc Dubé of the Canadian Space Agency, Frank De Winne of the European Space Agency, and Junichi Sakai of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.

** Cosmic Kiss: Matthias Maurer’s first mission to the International Space Station – European Space Agency, ESA

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer from Germany has been assigned his first mission to the International Space Station. He is expected to fly to the Space Station in the autumn of 2021. The mission is called Cosmic Kiss and Maurer will spend six months in orbit, carrying out vital science and operations on behalf of researchers and international partners worldwide.

** Oregon Charter Academy students spoke with astronaut on ISS – KGW News

Students at Oregon Charter Academy spoke to an astronaut on the International Space Station and had ten minutes to ask their most pressing questions.

** International Space station DIY | Science models for Children | How to make ISS – Vaayusastra

** International space station Iss repeater Ham radio – Ben M1MLM

** Greenhouse in Antarctica Helping Astronauts on Long-Duration Missions – NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

A few intrepid researchers will begin an arduous journey to Antarctica on Dec. 20 to conduct plant cultivation investigations in an extremely remote region of the world at the German Neumayer III Station, operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI). One researcher heading to this desolate wilderness on the Ekstrom Ice Shelf is Jess Bunchek. The plant scientist from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center will be a guest researcher at the German Neumayer III Station, operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI). Bunchek will spend about a year investigating plant cultivation in isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments in the EDEN ISS greenhouse, managed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Space Systems. These efforts complement NASA research on growing plants in the ultimate closed loop environment – space. For more than 20 years, a multinational partnership has allowed astronauts to live and work in a unique microgravity laboratory aboard the International Space Station. Research conducted at the EDEN ISS greenhouse on this mission could benefit people on Earth and astronauts on future missions to the Moon and Mars.

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Rockets, Space transport roundup

Space transport roundup – Dec.16.2020

A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here):

** Dec.9: First high altitude flight test of a SpaceX Starship prototype successfully demonstrated two key requirements for returning from orbit: (1) controlled stable flight while in a horizontal orientation during unpowered descent and (2) the flip to vertical maneuver after restarting the engines. The vehicle was powered by three Raptors, which fired for nearly five minutes before reaching the 12 km altitude. (Two of the engines shut down sequentially during the later phase of the ascent.) This provided a big gain in the amount of data on in-flight performance of the LOX/Methane engines compared to the short hops with earlier prototypes.

Unfortunately, during the SN8 vehicle’s relatively short vertical descent to the bullseye of the landing pad, a drop in pressure from the propellant tank in the tip of the nosecone reduced the thrust of the Raptor engine and the vehicle landed too hard and exploded. This operational problem can be prevented in a straight-forward manner in future flights. After 60+ successful Falcon 9 booster recoveries, the company knows how to land a rocket vertically.  However, SpaceX has had no experience with flying a rocket in a horizontal attitude and controlling it with side fins. It also had never swung a vehicle from horizontal to vertical. So this was a very successful test. While it might have flown again if it landed safely, SN8 was never intended to provide more than suborbital test data.

This multi-exposure image nicely captures the liftoff and return of Starship SN8’s epic test flight:

A view of SN8 from the landing pad:

An analysis by Scott Manley: SpaceX’s Biggest Starship Flight Is A Spectacular Success Even After Crash Landing

Articles and commentary about the test:

Find more on SpaceX activities below

** Dec.16: Astra reaches space for first time but falls just short of orbit: The launch from the Alaskan spaceport sent the upper stage of the two-staged Rocket 3.2 to 390 kilometers in altitude and “just a half a kilometer per second short” of orbital velocity according to Astra CEO Chris Kemp. According to Eric Berger,

The company had not quite gotten the mixture of kerosene to oxidizer correct—something that is difficult to test on the ground—and wound up with an excess of liquid oxygen. Had the upper stage burnt kerosene for a few more seconds, the upper stage would have reached orbit. As it was, the booster peaked at an apogee of 390km above the Earth’s surface.

Kemp claimed this flight nevertheless exceeded the team’s expectations for the rocket, which did not have a payload on board.

Kemp has said that it would take three launches before they achieved orbit. Last March, Rocket 3.0 was destroyed in a fire on the pad and, in September, Rocket 3.1 flew for 30 seconds before a guidance problem led to a shutdown of the engines and the loss of the vehicle. Rocket 3.3 is expected to fly early in 2021 and it will carry a payload for a customer.

The company’s goal is to offer very low cost access to orbit for small satellites. To achieve this they have sought a simple but robust rocket design that can be built at low cost. According to Astra,

Rapid test and iteration are the cornerstones of our development process. We’ve performed thousands of rocket engine tests at our headquarters in Alameda, a few hundred feet away from where those engines are designed and built. We can afford to experiment quickly and repeatedly because our rockets are far less expensive. The rockets are primarily constructed from lightweight aluminum, instead of costly composite and 3D printed materials.

Small crews for launch are also a part of the plan: Astra set up a rocket launch with five people and came within seconds of orbit | Ars Technica

Astra was founded to provide rapid, low-cost access to space for small satellites. The quick turnaround between its first and second flights suggests it may make good on this promise. It’s impressive, too, that the company needs just five people to set up its launch site. At Kodiak, Astra has a concrete pad and a tent. A week before launching the rocket, its launcher, propellant, and other equipment arrived in four shipping containers from California. A team of five set the launch system up, and employees back at Astra’s headquarters in Alameda, California, controlled the launch through cloud computing.

The company needs to prove in 2021 that it can build and operate rockets that not only get to orbit but do so reliably and frequently.

More at:

Astra rocket on launch pad at Kodiak Island spaceport. Credits: Astra

** Dec.15: Rocket Lab Electron rocket puts Synspective StriX-α synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite into a 500km circular orbit. This was the 17th Electron launch. There was no attempt to recover the first stage.

** Dec. 12: Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo test flight aborted after avionics failure prevents engine ignition: Virgin Galactic Update on Test Flight Program – Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE), a vertically integrated aerospace and space travel company, announced an update following its recent test flight on December 12, 2020. During the test flight, the rocket motor did not fire due to the ignition sequence not completing. Following this event, the pilots conducted a safe landing and return to Spaceport America, New Mexico as planned.

Virgin Galactic is now conducting post-flight analysis and can so far report that the onboard computer which monitors the propulsion system lost connection, triggering a fail-safe scenario that intentionally halted ignition of the rocket motor. This system, like others on the spaceship, is designed such that it defaults to a safe state whenever power or communication with sensors is lost. The pilots in the spaceship, as well as the engineers and pilots in mission control, are well prepared for any off-nominal results, as they plan and rehearse many potential scenarios during pre-flight simulation practice sessions, including a scenario where the rocket motor does not ignite after release from the mothership.

More at:

Continue reading Space transport roundup – Dec.16.2020 →

Activism, Space Policy, SpaceCasts

The Space Show this week – Dec.14.2020

The guests and topics of discussion on The Space Show this week:

1. Monday, Dec.14, 2020; 7 pm PDT (9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT: No program today.

2. Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020; 7 pm PDT (9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT): We welcome back Bob Zimmerman for a 2020 space roundup, a look at 2021 and more. See his website, www.behindtheblack.com.

3. Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020: Hotel Mars TBA pre-recorded. See upcoming show menu on the home page for program details.

4. Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020; 7-8:30 pm PDT (9-10:30 pm CDT, 10-11:30 pm EDT): No program today.

5. Friday, Dec.18, 2020; 9:30-11 am PDT (11:30 am-1 pm CDT, 12:30-2 pm EDT): We welcome back Dr. James A. Vedda and Karen Jones to discuss their space solar power paper, Space-Based Solar Power: A Near-Term Investment Decision (pdf), for the Center For Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corp.

6. Sunday, Dec.20, 2020; 12-1:30 pm PDT (3-4:30 pm EDT, 2-3:30 pm CDT): We welcome back Kim Holder to debut the new MOONWARDS game. John Jossy is co-hosting this program. Visit and play the Moonwards demo posted on our blog. Give it a try. Call us and share your experience with us. The demo will be posted on our blog in advance of this program. Visit Moonwards at www.moonwards.com. [See also Moonwards juuuust about has a demo – Moonwards.]

Some recent shows:

** Sunday, Dec.13.2020 – Dr. David Livingston led an Open Lines program with discussion on a wide range of topics with callers.

** Friday, Dec. 11, 2020 – Laura Montgomery reviewed “space law and policy in 2020 plus we looked ahead to space law and policy for 2021”.

** Tuesday, Dec.8.2020 – Dr. Haym Benaroya and Dr. William Belfer “discussed the book, The Spaceships of Ezekiel [pdf], by now deceased NASA engineer Josef F. Blumrich”.

** See also:
* The Space Show Archives
* The Space Show Newsletter
* The Space Show Shop

The Space Show is a project of the One Giant Leap Foundation.

The Space Show - David Livingston
The Space Show – Dr. David Livingston

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Activism, Roundup

Space policy roundup – Dec.14.2020

A sampling of links to recent space policy, politics, and government (US and international) related space news and resource items that I found of interest (find previous space policy roundups here):

International space

Webcasts:

** Casey Dreier: Are Changes Coming to NASA/US Space Policy – Weekly Space Hangout: December 9, 2020

We are pleased to once again welcome Casey Dreier from the Planetary Society to the WSH. Casey will update us (as much as possible) about Space Policy changes that may occur once the new American Presidential administration takes office on January 20, 2021. As Chief Advocate, Casey is the public face of The Planetary Society’s efforts to advance planetary exploration, planetary defense, and the search for life. He educates and empowers the organization’s members to take political action. He writes, teaches, and speaks to The Society’s members, the public, and policymakers to impress upon them the importance, relevancy, and excitement of space exploration. Casey is committed to demystifying the politics and policy process behind space exploration for all audiences. He is a trusted source for journalists and has been featured in many publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Vox, and The Verge, to name a few. He also has appeared as an expert on BBC News and both seasons of National Geographic’s MARS series as a “MARS Big Thinker”. As Senior Space Policy Adviser Casey helps lead the strategic planning of The Society’s policy and advocacy efforts. He works closely with The Society’s leadership, its Board of Directors, and other policy experts to craft the organizational positions and goals regarding the future of space exploration. He provides trusted analysis of the budgetary, political, and policy decisions relating to space, pursues original research, and works collaboratively to generate policy ideas and guidance for the U.S. space program.

** The Space Show – Friday, Dec. 11, 2020 – Laura Montgomery reviewed “space law and policy in 2020 plus we looked ahead to space law and policy for 2021“.

** The Space Show – Sunday, Dec.13.2020 – Open Lines program with Dr. David Livingston leading a discussion on a wide range of topics with callers.

** EMSTA Seminar on space debris 2020 – #SpaceWatchGL opinion: Space Debris – 2020 Vision? Are we really looking after space? – SpaceWatch.Global

** China Aero & Space Weekly News Round-Up – Episode 11 (7th -13th Dec. 2020) –  Roundup 6 – Dec – 13 Dec 2020 – SpaceWatch.Global

Topics discussed:

  1. iSpace making progress in the development of Hyperbola 2
  2. Launch of Long March 11 with 2 CAS satellites
  3. Great article on C919 Suppliers
  4. National Radio and Television Administration Announcement
  5. Dongfang Hour reaches 100+ subscribers!

** Innovative Space Showcase – Aerospace Corp – Center for Space Policy & Strategy (CSPS)

** Ben Kaebe – How Are Australian Space Robotics Startups Being Helped by SpAARC? – Cold Star Technologies – YouTube

The Australian Space Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Control Complex (SpAARC) in Perth is opening, and Dr. Ben Kaebe is its Technical Interface Manager. What will SpAARC do, and how will it help space startups? Join host Jason Kanigan on the Cold Star Project to find out. Jason asks Dr. Kaebe:
-how he ended up in Australia, having been born in Germany
-the vision for the complex and its user base
-the process and partners of developing SpAARC
-what Earth-based and space applications the facility will assist with
-what capabilities will be available first, and how the complex plans to grow.

** Space Café WebTalk – Mari Eldholm – 17. November 2020 – spacewatch. global – News Room – YouTube

In this week’s Space Cafè WebTalk, Mari Eldholm, the Director of NIFRO, Oslo, Norway, talked about Norway’s space ambitions from oil to orbit.

** December 8, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

** December 10, 2020 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

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