Expedition Space: Space Launch, Events, News

by Brian Berger I n the absence of an active push, attempts to create organizational change and improvement tend to revert to the way things used to be. After three years of an active push to increase the role of the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) in promoting and enabling commercial space activities, that vision is beginning to revert to the way things used to be. Immediate intervention is needed by the new leadership at the Department of Commerce to prevent a complete loss of progress and yet another delay in reshaping U.S. efforts to support and leverage the burgeoning commercial space sector. Changing Role for the Office of Space Commerce Over the last few years, OSC has emerged as a key agency supporting the U.S. commercial space sector. Current U.S. law and national space policy designates OSC as the lead agency for representing and promoting commercial perspectives within interagency discussions, developing a civil space situational awareness pilot program that improves our...

by Brian Berger W hen looking to strategically position the United States. as the dominant force in space for the 21st century, it made perfect sense to select a nominee to lead NASA  who  literally served our nation in space. Former Sen. Bill Nelson, who flew on the space shuttle in 1986 while a member of the House of Representatives, is a pragmatic yet inspired selection. He intimately knows the agency, its mission, its workforce, and its reputation in Congress. So why is there pushback rather than praise? Presidential nominees anticipate intense scrutiny of their public record – from financial dealings and voting history to past speeches and tweets. Opposition inevitably comes with the honor of being nominated. With Sen. Nelson’s selection, however, President Biden hit the ball out of the atmosphere, so to speak. Thus, I was surprised to see criticism come not from Republican members of Congress who roundly lauded the choice, but from within specific sectors of the spa...

by Brian Berger On April 23, SpaceX launched a crew of international astronauts to the Space Station. This marks the third human spaceflight success for the firm’s Crew Dragon Capsule, developed under NASA’s Commercial Crew program. The amazing accomplishments of this program and of its predecessor, Comercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS), which funded development of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and the cargo version of Dragon, depended not only on great engineering by SpaceX and other NASA vendors, but also upon the power of system redundancy and market competition. Both programs succeed, in great part, because NASA had two systems and two vendors. While we celebrate that, it appears that those lessons were not fully internalized on Capitol Hill. During my service on the previous NASA transition team (2016-2017), one of the first decisions we faced was the question of continuing the Obama-era Commercial Crew program. That effort to deliver American astronauts to the Internati...

by Brian Berger Elon Musk and XPRIZE recently announced a $100 million prize purse for economically scalable ideas to capture and sequester carbon dioxide (CO2). As of Earth Day 2021, registration for XPRIZE Carbon Removal now open. The hope is to inspire a global industry that will “collectively achieve” gigaton-scale removal of CO2 from Earth’s atmosphere. We urgently need these solutions, as most Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenarios require CO2 removal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. As badly as we need this Earth-saving industry, it’s also interesting to consider its benefits for another industry: space exploration. Specifically, for contestants seeking an edge, I predict Musk will acquire an XPRIZE solution that: Converts captured CO2 into useful products. Fits inside an 8-meter-diameter compartment. An integrated theory of Elon Musk Elon Musk wants to go to Mars. This is common knowledge. But “going to Mars” is more than rockets. All ...

by Brian Berger Amanda Gorman recites her inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb,” during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony. Credit: DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II O n Jan. 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the United States’ youngest inaugural poet laureate, addressing the newly sworn-in President Biden and the world with a striking message: And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us. We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside. We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another. At a moment when dystopian futures seem to loom larger than ever, individuals everywhere are trying to make sense of the tragic aftermaths of the past year:  surging cycles of COVID mutations, reams of shocking footage uncoiling deeply ingrained racial injustice, and widening swathes of irreversible environmental destruction heightening in severity...

by Brian Berger F or nearly two decades, I have been working to develop revolutionary spacesuit technology called the BioSuit system, which enhances astronaut performance by creating pressure through compression directly on the skin rather than with pressurized gas . If NASA is to truly explore Mars and its mountains, astronauts need flexibility and mobility not offered by the heavy and bulky suits that carried the Apollo astronauts to the moon. We envision astronaut athletes, modular life support systems, advanced cheetah-like robotic scouts, and team members on earth immersed in near real-time scientific data. Our focus is just one piece of a vast, complex, and expensive undertaking to land human boots on Mars and beyond. A human mission to Mars will require new technology to enable exploration and, undoubtedly, it will require strong leadership. President Biden recently selected Bill Nelson and Pam Melroy as administrator and deputy administrator for NASA. As someone who...

by Brian Berger S pace is vital to the mission and spirit of Earth Day. One might even say that Space is really all about Earth. From Space, we monitor forests, deserts and regions under stress in order to better protect them. Space provides precision navigation of long distances to reduce fossil fuel consumption, Space greatly enhances agriculture, reducing hunger. And, Space exploration helps us better understand our place in the Universe. The Environmental Movement, of which Earth Day is a centerpiece, was sparked into existence by a single photograph. In 1968, an Apollo 8 astronaut snapped a simple picture of the Earth over the Moon’s limb and dubbed it “Earthrise.” This image of our fragile, blue, jewel-like home amidst the vast emptiness of black space, altered the perception of millions of people, leading to an awareness of humankind’s vulnerability and stewardship of our precious planet. While not the original mission of Apollo, this unexpected societal revelation only happ...

by Brian Berger SpaceNews illustration T he recent announcement that NASA has entered into discussions with China’s space agency over the sharing of ephemeris data for Mars orbital conjunction analysis is certainly positive and necessary. However, what is good for Mars is even better — and more urgent — closer to home in low-Earth orbit.  At present about 3,400 satellites orbit Earth. However, in 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under its statutory licensing authority, approved over 13,000 additional satellites which are underway in deployment today. Other countries are also planning to fly more satellites. Although the FCC requires U.S. applicants to submit comprehensive orbital debris mitigation plans as a requirement of their license authorizations, this is not the case with most foreign administrations, and foreign-licensed satellite systems do not have to follow U.S. space safety regulations.  Space is busy and getting busier.  Given the an...

by Brian Berger On April 1, MDA, Canada’s leading space technology company, best known for developing the robotic Canadarm used on the International Space Station, raised 400 million Canadian dollars ($320 million) in its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange.  Last November, Telesat Canada announced that it was combining with its major shareholder Loral Space & Communications to form one public company to finance its LEO constellation, wherein the newly formed Telesat Corporation will be a publicly traded Canadian incorporated and controlled company.  This is encouraging and in line with the global space industry which has witnessed a growth trajectory last year despite the overall economic slump due to the pandemic. Investment in the space industry set a record in 2020 with the space infrastructure segment clocking $8.9 billion, while the total 2020 investment of $25.6 billion in the space sector was the third highest in the decade, accordin...

by Brian Berger SEOUL, South Korea — Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), which played a key role in developing South Korea’s recently launched CAS500-1 remote sensing satellite , will invest 1 trillion won ($880 million) over the next five years to expand its space business, including satellite production, according to its chief executive. Space will command nearly 45 percent of 2.2 trillion won the company has set aside for a broader five-year growth plan, which also includes the development of electric and hydrogen aircraft, air defense electronics, simulations and software. Under the plan, KAI is working on acquiring or forming a strategic partnership with undisclosed companies, in a move to launch ground station and satellite imagery analysis services in two or three years, said CEO Ahn Hyun-ho in a press conference here April 2. He said the company will announce details in August.  “We have set up a clear vision for our space business,” Ahn said. “It is something from whic...

by Brian Berger SEOUL, South Korea — Japanese camera maker Nikon has acquired a controlling stake in U.S. startup Morf3D , an aerospace supplier that has produced 3D-printed metallic flight hardware for Boeing satellites and helicopters. The deal gives Tokyo-based Nikon a foothold in the flourishing satellite industry. “Morf3D has proven leadership in metal additive technology, a strong innovation pipeline and highly specialized aerospace manufacturing qualifications,” said Nikon vice president Yuichi Shibazaki in a statement on April 6. “This combination [of the two companies] is well-aligned with Nikon’s vision for accelerating industrialization of AM [additive manufacturing] through innovation, and we look forward to working together to deliver exciting next-generation AM solutions to customers globally.” Additive manufacturing, also known casually as 3D printing or rapid prototyping, is a process that Morf3D uses to solve what it calls “complex design and manufacturing chal...