SIGNIFICANT DIGITS $250M

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warned April 18 that the agency’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) program could need $250 million more over the next two years. Nelson, testifying to Senate appropriators, said he learned of the additional costs projected for the current 2023 fiscal year and 2024 during a recent visit to JPL. He did not disclose what problems led to the increased costs. Senators said they were concerned that cost growth in MSR would hurt other agency science programs. Nelson said that while NASA is seeking a record $8.26 billion for science in 2024, “you can’t fit 10 pounds of potatoes in a five-pound sack.”

$60M

X-Bow Systems, a startup developing solid propulsion systems, won $60 million in funding. The funding came through a U.S. Air Force Strategic Funding Increase, or STRATFI, agreement, that augments private funding. X-Bow plans to use the funding to continue work on solid rocket motors that use advanced technologies, like additive manufacturing, for aerospace applications such as launch vehicles.

$20M

Geospatial data analytics company Hydrosat has secured $20 million in grants and investment. The funding is a combination of a $15 million Series A round from a group of investors and $5 million in government grants. Hydrosat said the funding will allow the company to develop two satellites for launch in 2024 to measure water stress in plants along with other indicators of climate change.

So close

A lander built by Japanese company ispace likely ran out of propellant and crashed on the lunar surface. The HAKUTO-R M1 lander was scheduled to land at 12:40 p.m. Eastern April 25 in the vicinity of Atlas Crater on the moon. The company said it lost contact with the lander just before the scheduled touchdown and could not restore contact. In a later statement, ispace said telemetry showed propellant reached the “lower threshold” during final descent, after which the lander’s speed increased, suggesting it ran out of propellant for its engines. The company acknowledged that the spacecraft made a hard landing and that restoring communications “is no longer achievable.” The lander carried a set of payloads for commercial and government customers, including a small rover from the United Arab Emirates.

Going through PDR under a CR

ISS extension

The International Space Station will remain operating through at least 2028 after Russia joined the other partners in an extension. NASA confirmed April 27 that Roscosmos had informed it and the other partners earlier this week that the Russian government had agreed to remain on the station to 2028. Russian officials had earlier suggested they might leave the station after 2024. Canada, Europe and Japan have previously followed the lead of the United States to extend the ISS to 2030 and then transition to commercial space stations.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told the House Science Committee on Thursday that NASA and Roscosmos continue to work well together on the station.

The U.S. Air Force secretary is asking Congress to allow the service to start some programs before funding is provided for them.

Frank Kendall said April 19 at Space Symposium that it is “troubling” that the U.S. Air Force and Space Force have not been able to start critical programs to compete with China because of the lagging budget process. That includes new missile-warning satellites and remote sensing satellites to track moving targets and hypersonic vehicles, which are on hold until Congress passes a final appropriations bill for 2024, which may not happen if Congress instead passes a full-year continuing resolution (CR). Kendall said he’s asked Congress to allow programs to start while funding is finalizing, proceeding to the preliminary design review (PDR) phase.

Quick Takes

Quick Takes

Spectrum sharing

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules April 20 governing how operators in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) share spectrum amid an unprecedented flood of proposed satellites. Operators approved by the FCC in later processing rounds must coordinate with, or show how they will protect, their predecessors under the new measures. However, these protections will be phased out 10 years after the first NGSO system receives a license in a later processing round. That move, said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, is intended to support innovation while limiting the “regulatory privilege” that first-mover systems currently enjoy.

Meet COMSO

The Space Force’s Space Systems Command is rebranding an office that works on procuring commercial services. The command said its commercial services office is being renamed Commercial Space Office, or COMSO. It will incorporate other organizations that work with the commercial space industry, like SpaceWERX. Brig. Gen. Jason Cothern, deputy commander of Space Systems Command, said it makes sense to bring different organizations under one roof to help improve the government’s access to commercial technology while making it easier for companies to seek contracting opportunities. Col. Richard Kniseley, a senior materiel leader at Space Systems Command, has been named head of the office.

Reusing Rutherford

Rocket Lab will reuse an engine on an upcoming Electron launch. The company said April 19 that a Rutherford engine from a booster that was recovered after a May 2022 launch will be integrated into an Electron launching in the third quarter. That takes the company a step closer to reusing the entire booster, although Rocket Lab has not stated when they expect that to happen. Rocket Lab also announced this week the Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) vehicle, a version of the Electron rocket designed for suborbital tests of hypersonic technologies. The first HASTE launch is scheduled for later this quarter from Wallops Island, Virginia.

n Firefly Aerospace says it plans to offer a new medium-class rocket for the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch (NSSL) competition. The medium-lift rocket it is developing in partnership with Northrop Grumman, projected to launch in 2025, is being designed to compete for NSSL Phase 3, the company said. Firefly expects its two-stage medium vehicle, projected to lift 16,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit, to be able to challenge Rocket Lab’s Neutron and Relativity Space’s Terran R for NSSL awards.

Coordinating ILRS

China’s space agency will soon create an organization to coordinate its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) development. The International Lunar Research Station Cooperation Organization will coordinate and manage the construction of the ILRS moon base, with founding members expected to be announced by June. The Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, whose members include China, Bangladesh, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru and Thailand, signed an agreement on cooperation for ILRS this week. Several other countries have expressed interest. China also outlined plans for future robotic missions launching to the moon later this decade.

Astra wins Space Force task order

Astra won a Space Force deal for a launch of its Rocket 4 vehicle in development. The company said April 21 it secured a task order worth $11.5 million as part of the Orbital Services Program OSP-4 contract. The mission, named STP-S29B, is scheduled to fly in April 2025 on Rocket 4, a vehicle in development that could be ready for test launches by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Astra announced April 24 that a version of Ursa Major’s Hadley engine will be used on the upper stage of Rocket 4, which Astra hopes to begin test launches of late this year. The Hadley engine, in its vacuum-optimized version, produces 6,500 pounds-force of thrust. Ursa also supplies engines for Phantom Space and Stratolaunch.

Inflation infatuation

Sierra Space and ILC Dover will cooperate on developing inflatable space station modules and spacesuits. ILC Dover will be the exclusive partner in providing soft goods for Sierra Space’s Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) modules it is developing for commercial space stations and future moon and Mars missions. The companies will also collaborate on spacesuits for Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser and spacewalks. The announcement is part of efforts by Sierra Space to build up a commercial human spaceflight program to serve research and other markets.

“Space program in a box”

Axiom Space has rolled out a new program to provide turnkey human spaceflight programs for governments. The Axiom Space Access Program features a series of tiers, from providing advice and insight to flying government astronauts and co-developing Axiom’s commercial space station. Several countries have signed up for the program, some of which had previously been working with Axiom. The company sees government business as one part of an overall market that also includes private astronauts and corporate R&D.

Something old, something blue

The Space Force plans to start replacing decades-old parabolic satellite dishes in 2025 with electronic phased array antennas developed by BlueHalo. That company won a $1.4 billion contract from the Space Rapid Capabilities Office last year to update 12 military ground stations with modern systems. BlueHalo will use a new mobile electronically steered antenna, called Badger, that is now in development. Badger can maintain simultaneous contact with up to 20 satellites while existing parabolic dishes can talk with only one satellite at a time.

Can you hear me now?

AST SpaceMobile said it has made its first voice calls using the company’s test satellite. The company announced April 25 it made the call using an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22, communicating directly with its BlueWalker 3 satellite on AT&T spectrum. The companies have not disclosed any details about the performance of these tests, which they said are continuing as part of plans to offer broadband services including voice, text, data and video for phone users outside terrestrial coverage. The test took place using an FCC license enabling limited experimental use of cellular frequencies as AST SpaceMobile seeks broader approvals for providing commercial services.