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):
As the world leaves behind the strange and challenging year of 2020, we look towards 2021 with a mixture of relief and expectation. And this is the same at ESA, where we look forward to a brighter and very exciting 2021. This year will see Vega-C making its maiden flight, two ESA astronauts start long-duration missions on board the International Space Station, and BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter continuing their voyages around the Solar System. Also this year, we will say farewell to our current Director General Jan Wörner as his tenure ends, while welcoming into office his successor, Josef Aschbacher.
** 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….
This artist’s impression of ID2299 shows the galaxy, the product of a galactic collision, and some of its gas being ejected by a “tidal tail” as a result of the merger. New observations made with ALMA, in which ESO is a partner, have captured the earliest stages of this ejection, before the gas reached the very large scales depicted in this artist’s impression.
Galaxies begin to “die” when they stop forming stars, but until now astronomers had never clearly glimpsed the start of this process in a far-away galaxy. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, astronomers have seen a galaxy ejecting nearly half of its star-forming gas. This ejection is happening at a startling rate, equivalent to 10 000 Suns-worth of gas a year — the galaxy is rapidly losing its fuel to make new stars. The team believes that this spectacular event was triggered by a collision with another galaxy, which could lead astronomers to rethink how galaxies stop bringing new stars to life.
“This is the first time we have observed a typical massive star-forming galaxy in the distant Universe about to ‘die’ because of a massive cold gas ejection,”
says Annagrazia Puglisi, lead researcher on the new study, from the Durham University, UK, and the Saclay Nuclear Research Centre (CEA-Saclay), France. The galaxy, ID2299, is distant enough that its light takes some 9 billion years to reach us; we see it when the Universe was just 4.5 billion years old.
The gas ejection is happening at a rate equivalent to 10 000 Suns per year, and is removing an astonishing 46% of the total cold gas from ID2299. Because the galaxy is also forming stars very rapidly, hundreds of times faster than our Milky Way, the remaining gas will be quickly consumed, shutting down ID2299 in just a few tens of million years.
The event responsible for the spectacular gas loss, the team believes, is a collision between two galaxies, which eventually merged to form ID2299. The elusive clue that pointed the scientists towards this scenario was the association of the ejected gas with a “tidal tail”. Tidal tails are elongated streams of stars and gas extending into interstellar space that result when two galaxies merge, and they are usually too faint to see in distant galaxies. However, the team managed to observe the relatively bright feature just as it was launching into space, and were able to identify it as a tidal tail.
This panoramic view of the Chajnantor plateau, spanning about 180 degrees from north (on the left) to south (on the right) shows the antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) ranged across the unearthly landscape. … Credits: ESO/ALMA
Most astronomers believe that winds caused by star formation and the activity of black holes at the centres of massive galaxies are responsible for launching star-forming material into space, thus ending galaxies’ ability to make new stars. However, the new study published today in Nature Astronomy suggests that galactic mergers can also be responsible for ejecting star-forming fuel into space.
“Our study suggests that gas ejections can be produced by mergers and that winds and tidal tails can appear very similar,”
says study co-author Emanuele Daddi of CEA-Saclay. Because of this, some of the teams that previously identified winds from distant galaxies could in fact have been observing tidal tails ejecting gas from them. “This might lead us to revise our understanding of how galaxies ‘die’,” Daddi adds.
Puglisi agrees about the significance of the team’s finding, saying:
“I was thrilled to discover such an exceptional galaxy! I was eager to learn more about this weird object because I was convinced that there was some important lesson to be learned about how distant galaxies evolve.”
This surprising discovery was made by chance, while the team were inspecting a survey of galaxies made with ALMA, designed to study the properties of cold gas in more than 100 far-away galaxies. ID2299 had been observed by ALMA for only a few minutes, but the powerful observatory, located in northern Chile, allowed the team to collect enough data to detect the galaxy and its ejection tail.
“ALMA has shed new light on the mechanisms that can halt the formation of stars in distant galaxies. Witnessing such a massive disruption event adds an important piece to the complex puzzle of galaxy evolution,”
says Chiara Circosta, a researcher at the University College London, UK, who also contributed to the research.
In the future, the team could use ALMA to make higher-resolution and deeper observations of this galaxy, enabling them to better understand the dynamics of the ejected gas. Observations with the future ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope could allow the team to explore the connections between the stars and gas in ID2299, shedding new light on how galaxies evolve.
A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here):
** Jan.8: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 to send Türksat 5A comm-sat into geostationary transfer orbit. The liftoff from Cape Canaveral was the first SpaceX launch of 2021. The booster, on its fourth flight, landed successfully on a floating platform. The Airbus-built satellite will use electric propulsion to circularize its orbit and move to its allocated slot in GEO.
** Dec.29: Arianespace Soyuz launched a French reconnaissance satellite from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The Soyuz Flight VS25 was the final mission for Arianespace in 2020.
For its 10th and final launch of the year — and the fifth in 2020 with the Soyuz medium launcher — Arianespace will send the CSO-2 Earth observation satellite, intended for defense and security applications, into Sun-synchronous orbit.
CSO-2 will be launched for the French CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) space agency and the DGA (Direction générale de l’armement) defense procurement agency on behalf of the French Ministry of Defense
It also will be the 25th mission carried out by Soyuz from French Guiana since it began operating at the Guiana Space Center (CSG) in October 2011.
** Dec. 22: China’s new Long March 8 rocket launched on first flight from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the South China island province of Hainan. Unlike most of the other Long March rockets, the medium-lift LM8 uses all non-toxic liquid propellants. The long term plan is to implement the vehicle with reusable boosters.
The LM-8 can launch a 5,000 kg cargo to an SSO 700 km orbit, an 8,400 kg cargo to LEO, or 2,800 kg to GTO.
In future missions, the first stage will be reusable (the LM-8R), which features powered vertical landing with deployable landing legs. The strap-on boosters will stay attached for landing.
Also, in the future, the LM-8 may be launched without the side boosters (the LM-8A version).
A video about the reusability plan:
The Long March-8 launch vehicle will be reusable, according to Song Zhengyu, chief designer of the Long March-8 rocket. The first launch of the Long March-8 launch vehicle (Long March-8 Y1) took place from the Wenchang Space Launch Center Hainan Province, China, on 22 December 2020, at 04:37 UTC (12:37 local time). Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)/China National Space Administration (CNSA)
** Jan.6: Northrop-Grumman Cygnus cargo vehicle departs from the ISS. The vehicle arrived there after launching on Oct. 2, 2020 aboard a NG Antares rocket from the spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia.
SpinLaunch signed a lease at Spaceport America in 2019 and has since invested in test facilities and an integration facility. The company is now set to hire an additional 59 highly-paid workers and complete the build of its suborbital centrifugal launch system for its next phase of development. SpinLaunch expects to start test launches in New Mexico in 2021.
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The company, expected to spend $46 million of private money in construction and expansion over 10 years, will generate an economic impact of $239 million over that period of time statewide.
SpinLaunch founder Jonathan Yaney said the technology behind the company is a cleaner and more affordable way to reach orbit.
“Our technology enables a 10 times reduction in the current costs and complexities of reaching orbit. As the number of rocket launches rapidly increases, SpinLaunch uniquely reaches space without releasing pollutants into critical layers of the atmosphere. We’re satisfying both the economic and environmental demands of a space industry experiencing exponential growth. This is the first time in human history we have an alternative to rockets,” Yaney said.
The installation of Blue Origin’s reusable BE-4 engines into ULA’s next-generation Vulcan rocket will keep it on track for the debut launch of a moon lander dubbed Peregrine at the end of 2021, ULA Chief Executive Tory Bruno said. The Vulcan rocket has won a slate of key U.S. defense missions through 2027.
Currently, ULA is using “pathfinder”, i.e. non-operational prototype, engines to check that they fit and connect properly into the new Vulcan rocket first stage booster.
** China’s Deep Blue Aerospace test reusable booster prototype for small orbital rocket:
Chinese company Deep Blue Aerospace have conducted a wet dress rehearsal of its Nebula-M first stage test vehicle. Next, static fire tests ahead of Spring Festival and hop tests to follow of all goes well. Source: https://t.co/To7gbSP25Lpic.twitter.com/RcEcIL5W9B
*** “Transporter 1” is the next Falcon 9 launch and is set for January 14th. It will be the first of SpaceX’s dedicated “Rideshare” missions. The Rideshare program will provide regularly scheduled launches on which multiple smallsats from different companies and organizations can fly. This first launch is to sun-synchronous orbit and the company is aiming for SSO missions every 4 months. Launches to other inclinations will also be available.
Some smallsats have been withdrawn from this mission:
The SpaceX Dragon that arrived to the International Space Station on the company’s 21st resupply services mission for NASA is scheduled to depart on Monday, Jan. 11, loaded with 5,200 pounds of scientific experiments and other cargo. NASA Television and the agency’s website will broadcast its departure live beginning at 9 a.m. EST.
The upgraded Dragon spacecraft will execute the first undocking of a U.S. commercial cargo craft from the International Docking Adapter at 9:25 a.m., with NASA astronaut Victor Glover monitoring aboard the station.
Dragon will fire its thrusters to move a safe distance from the station’s space-facing port of the Harmony module, then initiate a deorbit burn to begin its re-entry sequence into Earth’s atmosphere. Dragon is expected to make its parachute-assisted splashdown around 9 p.m. – the first return of a cargo resupply spacecraft in the Atlantic Ocean. The deorbit burn and splashdown will not air on NASA TV.
Unless a customer has a strong argument one way or the other, the decision on what booster to use is left up to SpaceX. “You’re buying a launch service, and we will provide you the best vehicle that we can in the timeframe that you need to fly,” [SpaceX president and COO, Gwynne Shotwell] said. “And we basically put the control for the most part in our hands.”
In truth, Shotwell said, it has not been particularly difficult to convince customers to fly on flight-proven rockets. It has been easier to sell customers on the technology than it was selling them on the first Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets. This is because, with rockets, SpaceX has achieved what it said it would do—develop and fly low-cost, reliable launchers.
“It was easier to sell ‘flight proven’ to customers than it was to sell Falcons,” she said. “Obviously, people come to trust organizations and people to do what they say they’re going to do, when you demonstrate that kind of history. So we said we would get to orbit with Falcon 1, and we did. We said we’d get to orbit with Falcon 9, and we did. We said we’d get to Station, and we did. So the sales pitch became much less difficult.”
*** Dec. 19: Last Falcon 9 launch of 2020 sent NROL-108 spysat into orbit. The booster returned for a successful landing at Cape Canaveral.
According to road closings and other indicators, a flight of the SN9 Starship prototype will be attempted in the upcoming week. Presumably, it will be a repeat of the SN8 flight with a max altitude around 12 kilometers. The SN9, with damaged fins replaced, rolled to the launch site on Dec. 22nd. On January 6th, a static firing took place, which appeared to stop prematurely. Another test appeared planned for the following day but it was aborted mid-way through the pre-test preparations.
Cameras were rolling during the SpaceX Starship SN9 transport from the production facility to the test stand, capturing some of the amazing humans making Starship happen.
**** Starship SN9 Rollout in 180 3D Stereoscopic VR – Cosmic Perspective
Cameras were rolling during the SpaceX Starship SN9 transport from the production facility to test stand, including our 180-degree 3D stereoscopic camera rig for Virtual Reality headsets like Oculus Quest.
**** Super Heavy Booster may settle onto launch tower arms, according to a Tweet from Elon:
We’re going to try to catch the Super Heavy Booster with the launch tower arm, using the grid fins to take the load
While it seems far-fetched at first hearing, it really is not so unreasonable when one thinks about it. After the learning phase, the Falcon 9 boosters have either set down within the target circles on the landing pads or have been far off the mark. I don’t remember any landing in the past few years that has been close to the edge of a pad. Bad landings, such as the time a booster went into the water off the beach at Cape Canaveral, are caused by failures (typically an engine issue) that occur with enough time margin to insure the rocket hits far away from the pad.
So landing within a circle defined by the arms on the launch tower rather than paint on a pad is clearly doable. With thousands of landings, there is, of course, still the likelihood of a rare near miss happening at some point. Additional launch towers offer redundancy and the towers can be toughened to minimize the cost of repair, which should be far less than the gains obtained from the greater mass reaching orbit with the elimination of landing legs.
Note also that when the rocket lands, the propellants are nearly gone so the vehicle will be at its lightest. This will reduce the stress on the grid fins and their joints.
**** SpaceX releases video of SN8 highlights: Starship | SN8 | High-Altitude Flight Recap – SpaceX –
On December 9, 2020, Starship serial number 8 (SN8) completed a high-altitude flight test as it successfully ascended, transitioned propellant, and demonstrated a first-of-its-kind controlled aerodynamic descent and landing flip maneuver – which will enable landing where prepared surfaces or runways do not exist, including the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
**** Starship SN8 Flight: The Mini Documentary – Cosmic Perspective – A very nicely done mini-doc about the SN8 flight and the people on-site observing it.
On December 9, SpaceX successfully launched Starship SN8 on its first-ever high-altitude test flight to 12.5 km (41,000 ft). We and the crowds at South Padre Island lost our minds. We also made lots of new friends, especially Gene and Rachel of Spadre.com, long-time Starship documenters, and wonderful passionate humans we very much look up to. On launch day, as part of the @Everyday Astronaut livestream team, we used a joystick-controlled telescope and a series of high-speed cameras (including one of the most epic anamorphic shots ever) to record the moment of liftoff and track the rocket through its unbelievable belly-flop maneuver and landing attempt. So grateful to Tim, Gene and Rachel for an amazing adventure witnessing, documenting, and sharing this historic event. Everything has changed.
**** Extracting propellants and other resources from Mars for Starship missions is described by Marcus House.
Weeks ago Elon Musk said “Rapid & complete rocket reuse, low-cost propellant, orbital refilling & propellant production at destination are the four essential elements of making life multi-planetary”. Today we are diving deep into how In Situ Resource Utilisation plays a vital role as humankind ventures out from our homeworld. Why is it so critical for SpaceX’s plans to have humans settle permanently on Mars? What resources can be used in the meantime on the surface of the moon? Let’s find out.
**** Jan. 6: SN8 & SN9 Static Fire Comparison With Slo-Mo Replay – LabPadre – YouTube
This video edit shows a comparison at SpaceX Boca Chica, Texas of Starship SN8 and SN9 static fires. You can see the similarities and differences in the Slo-Mo replay. SN8 #1 and SN9 #1 both detanked almost immediately after ignition indication a possible problem. SN8 #2 and #3 both seemed like good fires but #2 did have a significant amount of ejecta. Audio is from SN9 static fire.
Maria documents the first efforts of the New Year to get SN9 in the air. Join her for the sights and sounds of the Production Shipyard and SN9 on Sub-Orbital Launch Pad B.
Work continues to prep SN9 for flight above Boca Chica. Meanwhile, a new Raptor engine is delivered and SN15 gets thermal protection tiles in preparation for stacking. Video & Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal). Edited by Theo Ripper (@TheoRipper)
**** Jan.9: SpaceX Boca Chica: Fresh Propellant Arrives Before SN9’s Next Static Fire Attempt – NASASpaceflight – YouTube
After an aborted static fire attempt, SpaceX replenishes the tank farm with a fresh delivery of propellant for SN9. Meanwhile, SN10 work continues and the new upgraded Starship, SN15, begins to take shape. Video & Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal). Edited by Nicholas Gautschi (@NGautschi)
*** Other reports:
**** Jan.9: SpaceX Starship next flight to 41,000ft (12.5km) – Bellyflop #2 – Marcus House
Well, here we are in the final leadup to the SpaceX Starship next flight to 41,000ft (12.5km). This will be Bellyflop #2 with what we hope will be a successful landing this time around. The dizzying speed of SN9’s preparations for its test flight continued this week, as did the amazing build progress with various sections of several Starship versions spotted. It’s also almost time for the first Cargo Dragon version 2 (CRS-21) to come home after the fully autonomous capsule docked with the International Space Station on December 7 last year. We had the first Falcon 9 launch of 2021 with the Turksat 5A mission, and we also take a look back at the Mars Spirit and Opportunity Rovers that landed on the red planet seventeen years ago. An amazing mission to look back on as we await the arrival of Perseverance in just a few weeks now.
** Dec.27: SpaceX MMXX (2020) Tribute – One Step Ahead – What about it!?
SpaceX has been a light beacon to all of us in 2020. Leading the space industry by achieving milestone after milestone. With Crew Dragon and the Starship Prototype program they have inspired millions of humans across the globe. Here’s to SpaceX and our future as a multi planetary species.
Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
** Down to Earth: The Astronaut’s Perspective – NASA
Ever wonder what it’s like to see our planet from space? NASA’s astronauts will take you on a journey to the International Space Station, exploring the life-changing experience of an orbital perspective. View Earth as you’ve never seen it before: through the eyes of an astronaut.
** Expedition 64 Cygnus 14 Release – January 6, 2021 – NASA Video
After a cargo delivery run lasting three months at the International Space Station, Northrop Grumman’s unpiloted Cygnus spacecraft was released from the Canadarm2 robotic arm Jan. 6 to begin a three-week free-flight in support of additional scientific objectives. Ground controllers sent commands to the robotic arm to enable Cygnus – named the SS Kaplana Chawla after the NASA astronaut who lost her life in the 2003 Columbia accident – to begin its journey away from the complex after it brought several tons of supplies and scientific experiments to the orbital outpost. Northrop Grumman flight controllers will monitor Cygnus’ flight for the next few weeks until it deorbits late this month to burn up harmlessly in the Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.
** Chasing SSTV signals from the International Space Station – icholakov
International Space Station beaming SSTV radio signals last week of December 2020. Using Software Defined Radio (SDR) to capture these ISS transmissions
Long Beach, California — January 8, 2021 — Virgin Orbit, the California-based responsive space launch company, announced today that it has signed a launch services agreement with Junior Astronaut, a UK-based company that provides Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education programs for young space enthusiasts. Flying as a rideshare onboard several upcoming missions — including missions from Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay, UK — Junior Astronaut’s Nanonaut payload will remain affixed to LauncherOne’s upper stage.
LauncherOne rocket released from carrier aircraft. Credits: Virgin Orbit
Each Nanonaut payload can be tracked and monitored via telemetry from Earth using Junior Astronaut’s smartphone app. The app also offers a number of STEM-based activities such as algebra tutorials and other educational teasers, supporting Junior Astronaut’s broader purpose of inspiring young students to become more engaged and excited about space.
Founded in 2020, Junior Astronaut exists to encourage young people toward careers in STEM and space science through participation. In addition to the Nanonaut program, Junior Astronaut will soon offer space camps and a flight experiments package to take young people’s interest to the next stage.
Junior Astronaut to begin a flight experiments program. Credits: Junior Astronaut
Virgin Orbit launches for Junior Astronaut will commence no earlier than mid-2021.
“Knowledge is the most powerful tool for shaping a better future for everyone. The Junior Astronaut program is designed to inspire young people to push the limits of the unknown, to discover and innovate. The way to do this is education. Space is such an inspirational way to get people interested. We want space to be accessible to everyone, and for the next generation to push boundaries and move all our societies forward. Space is how they will do this,”
said Miranda Ashcroft, Junior Astronaut co-founder.
“With every LauncherOne mission, we want to chip away at the barriers preventing equitable access to space, so this partnership with Junior Astronaut is particularly meaningful to our team,” said Stephen Eisele, Virgin Orbit’s vice president of business development. “These Nanonauts are all about getting students to recognize that they too can have a role in shaping the future of space, and we’re really excited to help bring them into the fold. These are the kinds of missions that will capture the hearts and minds of tomorrow’s space innovators.”
Virgin Orbit is in the midst of final preparations for Launch Demo 2, its second orbital test flight with the LauncherOne system, currently expected to occur in mid-January.
About Virgin Orbit: Virgin Orbit builds and operates the most flexible and responsive satellite launcher ever invented: LauncherOne, a dedicated launch service for commercial and government-built small satellites. LauncherOne rockets are designed and manufactured in Long Beach, California, and will be air-launched from our modified 747-400 carrier aircraft – allowing us to operate from locations all over the world in order to best serve each customer’s needs. Virgin Orbit’s systems are currently in an advanced stage of testing, with initial orbital launches expected soon. To learn more or to apply to join Virgin Orbit’s talented and growing team, visit virginorbit.com.
About Junior Astronaut: Junior Astronaut is a worldwide charitable organization that wants to awaken young people’s curiosity and guide them towards choosing a STEM career. Junior Astronaut’s vision is to bring forth a new generation of STEM professionals that will have the knowledge, creativity, drive, and empathy to address global challenges through innovation. Our mission is to create thrilling participative programs that nurture real life skills and inspire a sense of wonder, curiosity, and the desire to explore. Our initiatives include the Nanonaut program, space camps, in-flight experiments, zero gravity experiences, and – in the future – a full sub-orbital experience. In the long term, we aim for youths who start our program to one day build STEM careers at NASA, ESA, or other world-renowned space companies like Virgin Orbit.
