More Signal. Less Noise.

V7 | Issue 3 | 2.1.23

Signals & Space for 02.01.23

Summary

By the CyberWire staff

At a glance.

NASA discusses supply chain risk management efforts.
US Space Force considers ways of achieving resilience.
When considering resilience, don't neglect the networks that connect space and ground systems.
Addressing acquisition challenges in US military space programs.
Why are we in space? To do better on the ground.

NASA discusses supply chain risk management efforts.

On Monday, GovExec held the first part of their two-day “Managing Government’s Risk at Scale” summit centered around the NASA SEWP (Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement) GWAC (Government-Wide Acquisition Contract), intended and described by NASA as providing “the latest in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Audio-Visual (AV) products and services for all Federal Agencies and their approved contractors.” The Monday sessions saw the discussion of supply chain risk management (SCRM) approaches and criticisms. One major issue addressed in a panel discussion was the idea that agencies are waiting for updates, such as directives and memos, to policies surrounding the supply chain from other agencies. Deputy Chief of the Computer Security Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Jon Boyens, said that waiting around for a memo or directive has “just got to stop, this is risk management. This is an aspect of risk, and so there are very simple things that can be done, that should be done anyway.” The key to SCRM, however, as noted by NASA’s Program Manager, Kanitra Tyler, and agreed upon amongst the panelists, “is collaborating both internally and externally.”

NASA SEWP’s Program Manager, Joanne Woytek, also noted the difficulty faced by the agency in the implementation of a new Office of Management and Budget security directive expected to go into effect in September, citing issues with a lack of staff and resources. The OMB directive requires agencies to provide a standardized self-attestation form to security vendors in order to ensure compliance with appropriate NIST guidelines. “I don’t have a self-attestation staff,” Woytek said, emphasizing the underpreparedness and need for help from outside agencies in the policy’s impending implementation. “We’re either going to find some magic wand that makes it happen, or we’re going to have some discussions with [OMB] and figure out when this can happen.”

US Space Force considers ways of achieving resilience.

Space Force is looking into ways of achieving greater resilience in its operations. Since space can be assumed to be contested, the Service is looking into ways of rapidly restoring disrupted capabilities. Frank Calvelli, assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisitions and integration, said at GovConWire’s 2023 Space Acquisition Forum that prioritizing those capabilities was a first step toward achieving resilience. Calvelli defined "resilience" as falling into four bins: "proliferation, diversified orbits, integrating commercial capabilities and then the ability to reconstitute."

Breaking Defense quoted Calvelli as explaining, “It’s something that’s on our to-do list. I think the key thing that we need to work on is what mission area do we want the ability to reconstitute? You know, is it a communications mission area? Is it a missile warning/missile tracking mission area? Is it the space domain awareness area? Is it all the above? So we’re doing some work right now to try to figure out if we had to reconstitute stuff, what would be the priority mission areas that we would need and want to reconstitute? We haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Ability to reconstitute systems in orbit, as well as the ability to address emergent, crucial operational requirements, depend upon tactically responsive launch capabilities. U.S. Space Command intends to develop and test such capabilities. Lieutenant General John Shaw, SPACECOM's deputy commander told C4ISRNet that “When we look across our mission set and how we think we will need to be doing operations in the future, one hindrance to all that is that it takes a long time to put something on orbit. We want to be more responsive. We can’t wait years to respond.” Space Force intends a demonstration of a more responsive launch capability later this year. In the project, “Victus Nox," Space Force has engaged Millennium Space Systems to produce and deliver a satellite in eight months. Once that satellite is delivered, Firefly Aerospace will launch it on just twenty-four hours' notice.

The growth of the commercial space sector is one development that gives General Shaw and other leaders some reason for hope that tactically responsive launch will prove not only feasible, but affordable. “We have reusable launchers that are cheaper. We’re finding ways as a nation to make satellites faster and smaller,” he said to C4ISRNet. “All of these changes in our space industry are spiraling us toward a more responsive capability. We’ve just got to keep pushing.”

When considering resilience, don't neglect the networks that connect space and ground systems.

The Atlantic Council has a thoughtful set of pieces on dealing with evolving space threats. Many of the themes are familiar: orbital traffic management, avoidance of debris fields, the growing "democratization" of space and the attendant risk of invidious proliferation, and an immature international regulatory regime.

Not all the threats facing space systems are kinetic, however. Indeed, the most common class of threat is probably cyber threat. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, one of the lessons of Russia's war against Ukraine is that space and cyber are inextricably intertwined. “Satellites in space are not useful if the linkages to them and the ground network that moves the information around that you get from satellites is not assured, is not capable, is not accessible,” Saltzman said. “I think it’s a reminder that...if we’re not thinking about cyber protection of our ground networks, that we may have a backdoor, if you will, to negate satellite operations without counter-satellite operations....There’s other ways to attack these systems.”

Addressing acquisition challenges in US military space programs.

Another challenge Assistant Secretary Calvelli addressed at the GovConWire 2023 Acquisition Forum was the curious lag between procurement of space systems and acquisition of the ground equipment necessary to operate them. Two of the more notorious cases of this acquisition gap, Breaking Defense writes, are the software-based Next-Generation Operational Control System (OCX) that supports new GPS III satellites, and the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUe), which includes receivers capable of handling the encrypted, jam-resistant M-Code signal. These two long-delayed systems will receive particular attention that emphasizes getting them into the users' hands.

In any case, the disconnect between ground and space system fielding is a gap Calvelli says he's determined to close. “It is the worst thing in the world to launch a spacecraft and not be able to use it, because you provided basically nothing at that point in time for the warfighter,” Breaking Defense quotes him as saying in remarks delivered on January 18th. “I oversee the ground programs as well as the space programs. And I’ve been making that a priority that the ground needs to be there before launch. That has driven folks to do some creative things, like more incremental development on the ground.”

Another acquisition challenge is the long-familiar one of a procurement system that's slow to deliver capabilities to the operators for whom they're ultimately intended. This has been, as people say, "a known issue" since the First World War at least, where conflicting procedures and equities among the requirements community, the resource sponsors, the RDT&E establishment, and the operators have often frustrated all the parties involved in bringing new systems to reality. It's not that any of the parties are wicked, venal, or incompetent, but they've been given different tasks. Consider that the US acquisition system emerged historically in a period when expensive programs delivered large end items with long lead-times, and when true dual-use items were unusual. The acquisition bureaucracy had, and still has both the bureaucratic virtues (accountability, predictability, due process, procedural equity) and the bureaucratic vices (slowness, resistance to change).

Acquisition reform is often framed in terms of increasing the speed with which capabilities the operators actually need can be delivered to them quickly and, where possible, affordably. That was the mood at the recent conference sponsored by the National Security Space Association. Air & Space Forces Magazine quoted Space Force Major General Gregory J. Gagnon in its headline: "Keep it simple, stupid." General Gagnon said. “Let’s just do small things, do them really fast, and continue to move forward. I think that’s absolutely the right way ahead.”

Why are we in space? To do better on the ground.

Both the youngest and the oldest US Services, Space Force and the mud service itself, the US Army, are in agreement on this. Supporting terrestrial military operations is Space Force's first priority, Space News reports. And if you ask the Army what it wants from space, it will tell you: it wants help keeping soldiers moving, shooting, and communicating.

Notes.

Today's issue includes events affecting Canada, China, the European Union, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Selected Reading

Appropriations, Procurement, and Acquisitions

Office of Space Commerce Issues RFI on Space Traffic Management Services (Via Satellite) The Office of Space Commerce (OSC) issued a request for information on Friday for input on its space traffic management system for the space industry.

ESA Grants Swissto12 Funding for HummingSat Small GEO Product Line (Via Satellite) Satellite payload manufacturer Swissto12 is receiving funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) Ministerial Council for its HummingSat satellite

UK Government Looks to Airbus to Enhance Space-Based Defence (Via Satellite) The U.K. government is looking to tap into the space-based defence capabilities of Airbus Defence and Space in a major new partnership deal. The company,

UK Space Agency to Invest $62M in Satcom Projects Through ESA's ARTES Program (Via Satellite) The UK Space Agency announced 50 million pounds ($62 million) in new funding for the nation’s satellite communications industry. The funding announced

Canada Commits to Support Commercial Space Launch (Via Satellite) The government of Canada is making space launch a priority, announcing a series of measures on Friday to license commercial space launch from the

Space Force not buying large satellites for the foreseeable future (SpaceNews) The era of massive satellites needs to be in the rear view mirror for the Department of Defense, the head of military space acquisitions Frank Calvelli said Jan. 24.

Space Business and Market Trends

Fueling the First Space-Based Economy (Satellite Today) How we’re venturing forth to the Moon and beyond and untethering ourselves from old ideas and science.

Space Investment Drops Down to Earth in 2022, With a Focus on the Fundamentals (Satellite Today) After a string of record-setting years that saw space investment rocket to new heights, interest rates rose sharply in 2022 and investment slowed down. The tighter capital environment is putting more of an emphasis on strong business plans.

Aerospace and defense contractors felt the supply chain squeeze in Q4 (Fast Company) Across the board, companies were, on the one hand, buoyed by sky-high defense budgets, and stymied by logistics and labor issues.

Space Capital Reports a 2022 Drop in Startup Investment, as Investors 'Shift to Fundamentals' (Via Satellite) Last year was the “most difficult investment environment since the Great Recession,” Space Capital said in its 2022 space investment report, but the firm

Consolidation and Climate: Space Industry Trends to Watch in 2023 (Via Satellite) The past year saw huge advancements in the space industry. We witnessed landmark achievements such as the discovery of the earliest galaxies seen to date,

GapSat Acquires QBX, Including ITU Filings for a GEO Constellation (Via Satellite) GapSat is acquiring QBX Limited, an Isle of Man based satellite solutions and consulting services company, GapSat announced Jan. 16. QBX has a portfolio

CesiumAstro Acquires UK-Based TXMission (Via Satellite) CesiumAstro has acquired TXMission, a company based in the United Kingdom that develops software-defined radios and modems for satellites. CesiumAstro,

Northrop Grumman Continues Streak of Space Systems Growth in 2022 (Via Satellite) Northrop Grumman continues its streak of growth for the Space Systems segment, postings its third year in a row of double-digit growth for the segment.

Raytheon to Combine Missiles and Defense Division with Intel and Space Business (Defense One) Company also names Christopher Calio president.

Raytheon to Restructure Into 3 Business Segments; Greg Hayes Quoted (GovCon Wire) Looking for the latest GovCon News? Check out our story: Raytheon to Restructure Into 3 Business Segments. Click to read more!

Boeing Defense, Space & Security Revenues Fall 13% in 2022 (Via Satellite) The Boeing Company's full year 2022 revenues in its Defense, Space & Security segment fell, while overall yearly revenues increased for the company as

L3Harris Reports Slight Increase in Space & Airborne Systems Revenue in 2022 (Via Satellite) L3Harris reported its full-year 2022 financial results on Jan. 26, reporting full year revenue of $17.1 billion, down 4% and 1% on an organic basis

Swissto12 Signs Amplifier Contract With Thales (Via Satellite) Swissto12 has signed a new ka-band solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) deal with Thales, the company announced Jan. 31. These amplifiers will be a key

Sateliot Partners With Sensefinity for Satellite-Enabled IoT Cargo Tracking (Via Satellite) Satellite IoT startup Sateliot is working with industrial IoT company Sensefinity for cargo tracking. The companies said they are launching technology

In-Space Missions to Build Satellite for Asia-Pacific Rideshare Mission (Via Satellite) In-Space Missions has signed a new partnership deal in Asia, as it looks to bounce back after the recent Virgin Orbit launch failure in the United

SpaceX’s Founding Engineer Has 10 Months to Bring ‘Last-Mile Delivery’ to Space (The Information) Elon Musk wants to get to Mars as soon as possible. One of his first employees at SpaceX, Tom Mueller, is focused on another destination: the moon. Mueller—who founded his own startup, Impulse Space, in 2021 after retiring from SpaceX—recently announced that Impulse’s first ever vehicle, the ...

Thursday Morning Conversation with Comtech CEO Ken Peterman (Via Satellite) It was a busy year for Comtech and the company’s CEO, Ken Peterman. In this conversation with Via Satellite’s Mark Holmes, Peterman discusses some of the

Arianespace Appoints Steven Rutgers as new Chief Commercial Officer (Via Satellite) Arianespace has appointed Steven Rutgers to serve as its next chief commercial officer. Rutgers joins Arianespace from IoT startup Hiber, where he was

Mercury Appoints Vivek Upadhyaya as Vice President of Finance (GlobeNewswire News Room) Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a technology company that delivers processing power...

Astroscale Hires Andrew Faiola for Key UK And European Role (Via Satellite) Astroscale has appointed Andrew Faiola as its new commercial director for its U.K. and European subsidiary Astroscale Ltd, the company announced Jan. 24.

National Security Space Technology Leader LinQuest Appoints COO Greg Young as President and Chief Executive Officer (Business Wire) LinQuest Corporation (“LinQuest” or “the Company”), a national security space technology leader, today announced the appointment of Greg Young as Pres

LMI Names CTOs for Defense, Space & Intelligence Markets (GovCon Wire) Looking for the latest GovCon News? Check out our story: LMI Names CTOs for Defense, Space & Intelligence Markets. Click to read more!

Tim Kienberger Joins LeoStella as CEO (Via Satellite) LeoStella has appointed Tim Kienberger as CEO, to lead the smallsat manufacturer succeedingCEO Mike Hettich. LeoStella, based in Washington State, is a

Ball Aerospace Hires Aidan Fitzgerald as VP of Finance (Via Satellite) Ball Aerospace has appointed Aidan Fitzgerald as its new vice president of Finance, starting later this week. The company made the announcement, Jan. 27.

Mercury Systems Announces CFO Transition (GlobeNewswire News Room) Mercury Systems, Inc. (“Mercury” or the “Company”), (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a technology company...

Northrop Grumman’s Doug Hurley Receives Congressional Space Medal of Honor (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) executive Doug Hurley, former NASA astronaut and Colonel in the United States Marine Corps, was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by Vice President Kamala Harris...

Tiphaine Louradour to Leave ILS International Launch Services (Via Satellite) Tiphaine Louradour, president of ILS International Launch Services (ILS), is departing the company, ILS announced Tuesday. Louradour took the lead at ILS

Launch Services

The Spaceport at the Edge of the World (WIRED) A tiny Scottish village is betting its future on rocket launches. But the plan may threaten the fragile landscape—and a tenacious billionaire’s ambitions.

Isar Aerospace Signs Rideshare Deal with Spaceflight, Works Toward First Flight (Via Satellite) Isar Aerospace secured its first U.S.-based customer, signing a multi-launch agreement with rideshare provider Spaceflight, as it works toward its first

SpaceX launches GPS satellite on reused NASA rocket (C4ISRNet) The launch was the first U.S. Space Force mission to rely on a rocket previously flown by another government agency.

SpaceX launches GPS satellite made by Lockheed Martin Space in Colorado (Denver Business Journal) The GPS III satellite was built on the company’s campus in the foothills southwest of Denver.

SpaceX Launches the US Space Force’s Sixth GPS III Satellite (Via Satellite) SpaceX launched the sixth GPS III satellite for the U.S. Space Force on a Falcon 9 mission early Wednesday morning. The Lockheed Martin-built satellite is

UK Space CEOs and Virgin Orbit Customers Address the Launch Failure (Via Satellite) It has been quite a week for the UK space industry. What was meant to mark a new era of space launch has sadly been put on hold after Virgin Orbit’s

SpaceX Launches Falcon Heavy Mission for US Space Force with Boeing and Northrop Grumman Satellites (Via Satellite) A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lofted the Boeing and Northrop Grumman communications satellites into orbit on Jan. 15 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in

Rocket Lab's Long-Awaited Mission Lifts Off From Virginia (Via Satellite) Rocket Lab launched from the East Coast on Tuesday evening, in a milestone launch for the company that had been long delayed. An Electron rocket

US Space Force

Supporting military operations on Earth to remain U.S. Space Force’s top priority (SpaceNews) Top acquisition executive Frank Calvelli said the Space Force must focus on advancing satellites systems for military operations on Earth

US Space Force Seeks to Bolster Domestic Electronics Capacity for Future Systems (Via Satellite) The Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) space vehicles directorate is seeking innovative industry solutions to bolster domestic capacity to build

Space Force chief: FY24 budget funds digital training as part of readiness push (Breaking Defense) "I can't give you the specific numbers yet, but we are investing in developing what I'm loosely calling an operational test and training infrastructure," Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told reporters at a roundtable today.

Space Force chief calls for tighter link between operators and buyers (C4ISRNet) Gen. Chance Saltzman told reporters today he wants space operators to be more involved in shaping plans for future systems and defining training needs.

‘Keep It Simple, Stupid‘—Senior Military Space Leaders Focus on Streamlining Acquisition (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Department of Air Force leaders, Space Force generals, and intelligence officials discussed how they can speed up the acquisition process.

Space acquisition office weighs mission priorities in case satellites go down (Breaking Defense) The Department of the Air Force aims to set up a new program office dedicated solely to "resiliency," a key pillar of America's space strategy.

'Worst thing in the world': Space acquisition leaders target satellite ground system gaps (Breaking Defense) “These albatrosses [have been] dragging the department down for decades. This is the year we are going to get these programs delivered," said Frank Calvelli, space acquisition head.

Secrecy hinders info-sharing with allies, says Space Command deputy (C4ISRNet) The Pentagon’s tendency to overclassify space programs is making it harder for agencies to collaborate with international partners, a general warns.

Space Force delivers first payload for Japan's QZSS satellites (Breaking Defense) The two hosted payloads, designed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, will keep tabs on spacecraft and dangerous debris in geosynchronous orbit (GEO).

Some Space Force Guardians Won't Have to Take a Fitness Test This Year (Military.com) Space Force Guardians will not be required to take a fitness assessment in 2023 if they took one in 2022.

Colorado Dem threatens to hold Pentagon nominees over Space Command HQ (Defense News) The latest threat to Senate confirmation of Pentagon nominees is coming from President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats over the Space Command headquarters.

Military Space Operations

US Space Command’s Shaw sees need for rapid, responsive launch (C4ISRNet) Lt. Gen. John Shaw said this week there’s a growing need for on-demand launch capabilities that can be leveraged to replace or augment satellites.

Japan launches intelligence satellite to join fleet in orbit | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis (The Asahi Shimbun) The Japanese government successfully launched a satellite into orbit around the Earth on Jan. 26 to beef up the nation's intelligence capabilities and disaster response.

Japan launches intel satellite to watch North Korea, disasters (Defense News) The H2A rocket, launched by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, successfully lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.

Pentagon strategy calls for integrated satellite comm networks (C4ISRNet) The plan features a three-phased approach, starting in fiscal 2023 with improving data standards — a step aimed at enabling better information sharing.

US Marine Corps Awards Viasat a Managed Satcom Contract (Via Satellite) The United States Marine Corps (USMC) has awarded Viasat a contract for managed satcom service. Viasat announced the award Jan. 24. The contract comes

Army space capabilities keep Soldiers shooting, moving, communicating (U.S. Army) The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command focused on integrating Army space capabilities in many of its 2022 operations.

SDA Renames LEO Constellation to Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (Via Satellite) The Space Development Agency (SDA) has renamed its proliferated Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, or

Products, Services, and Solutions

Iridium Rolls Out More Capable GO! Device for Off the Grid Personal Connectivity (Via Satellite) Iridium Communications is rolling out a new portable wireless access device called Iridium GO! exec, an upgraded version of the Iridium GO! device that

Airbus Delivers Inmarsat-6 Satellite to Florida Ahead of SpaceX Launch (Via Satellite) Airbus has delivered the Inmarsat-6 to Florida ahead of its February launch, the manufacturer announced Monday. The Inmarsat satellite, I-6 F2, is part of

Measat Works to Uplift to Rural Communities in Malaysia (Via Satellite) Measat has signed a new MoU to boost connectivity in rural parts of Malaysia. The company announced Jan. 27 that it is joining forces with Parcel365 and

Vection Tech pioneers meta ‘space content’ for Artemis moon landing (CRN Australia) Lunar City platform to be developed.

GIT Satellite Communications Expands Portfolio with Iridium Certus Service (Via Satellite) GIT Satellite Communications (GIT) has become an Iridium Certus service provider and will support U.S. government customers with hardware platforms,

Azercosmos Signs New African Government Deal (Via Satellite) Azercosmos will provide capacity that will enable satellite internet services to governmental organizations in Africa. The company announced Jan. 24, that

ST Engineering iDirect Supplies IoT Solution to Argentina’s ARSAT (Via Satellite) ST Engineering iDirect has delivered its IoT solution to ARSAT, Argentina’s state-owned telecommunications company. The IoT solution will enable a number

Warpspace Signs Deal for Mynaric Condor Mk3 Laser Terminals (Via Satellite) Japanese space startup Warpspace has signed an order for a small number of Mynaric Condor Mk3 terminals. Warpspace plans to use the terminals to establish

Alaska Airlines to Upgrade Regional Jets With Intelsat Wi-Fi (Via Satellite) Alaska Airlines is upgrading its Embraer E175 regional jets with Intelsat’s in-flight connectivity (IFC). The deal announced Tuesday will expand Alaska’s

OneWeb and Intellian Demonstrate User Terminal, Confirm Production (Via Satellite) Intellian and OneWeb recently demonstrated Intellian’s flat panel user terminal on OneWeb’s commercial network. The companies reported the terminal

Mercury Unveils the Industry’s First Signal Processing Board To Feature Intel’s Latest Direct RF Technology (GlobeNewswire News Room) Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a technology company that delivers processing power...

Mercury Makes Intel’s Newest Data Center-class Xeon Processors Available for Aerospace & Defense Missions with Its Next-Generation Rugged Rack Servers (GlobeNewswire News Room) Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a technology company that delivers processing power...

Anuvu Rolls Out Starlink Reseller Packages (Via Satellite) Satellite service provider Anuvu is rolling out Starlink maritime packages as an authorized Starlink reseller. Anuvu said it is focused on giving maritime

Carnival Corporation to Roll Out Starlink Wi-Fi on Cruise Ships (Via Satellite) Cruise ship titan Carnival Corporation has signed a deal for SpaceX’s Starlink Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite internet service and is already rolling out

Slingshot Aerospace Taps HawkEye 360 for RF Data (Via Satellite) Slingshot Aerospace awarded HawkEye 360 a contract for radio frequency (RF) data to support a Slingshot program for the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems

SES Expands Capacity Deal With German Media Company High View (Via Satellite) German media company High View signed a deal with SES to purchase additional satellite capacity on SES’s TV neighborhood at ASTRA 19.2 degrees East to add

Satellite and Ground Station Operations

Eutelsat Retires Eutelsat 5 West A Satellite (Via Satellite) Eutelsat Communications has decommissioned the Eutelsat 5 West A satellite after more than 20 years in operation. The operator re-orbited the satellite to

LeoLabs West Australian Space Radar is Now in Service (Via Satellite) LeoLabs entered a new space radar into service, the West Australian Space Radar (WASR), giving the company coverage of the Southern Hemisphere in the

Policy, Strategy, and Regulation

NATO’s forthcoming space center for excellence hits key milestone (Defense News) Representatives from 15 nations in the alliance signed an operational memorandum of understanding Jan. 18 in Paris.

EXCLUSIVE: Commerce's draft space traffic management service goes beyond DoD's baseline (Breaking Defense) Industry representatives meeting with Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves on Tuesday "stressed the need for [Commerce] to work quickly to field the new capabilities — ideally by buying and redistributing existing commercial products — in order to maintain leadership in the face of competing SSA offerings from the EU and China," a Commerce official told Breaking Defense today.

How the US and its allies should respond to evolving space threats (Atlantic Council) Adversaries are changing the ways they disrupt or destroy US and allied space operations. Our experts give their sense of the latest challenges to security.

UK Astronaut Tim Peake to Take on a New Ambassadorial Role for ESA (Via Satellite) Tim Peake, one of the most well-known names in the U.K. space industry, is to step down from the active European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut corps and

Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation

AFRL Seeks New Mission Planning Tools for Satellites (Via Satellite) The Space Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) space vehicles directorate at Kirtland Air Force

Thales Alenia Space to Lead ESA Quantum Satcom Project (Via Satellite) Thales Alenia Space signed a deal to lead the European Space Agency’s TeQuantS project to develop quantum technologies for cybersecurity applications and

NASA funding DRACO nuclear thermal rocket engine under deal with DARPA (Breaking Defense) "When people like to question the validity or usefulness of this engine, I point them to Wernher von Braun," said Tabitha Dodson, DRACO program manager at DARPA, "because this was more or less his idea."

NASA and DARPA to partner on nuclear thermal propulsion demonstration (SpaceNews) NASA and DARPA will cooperate on the development and flight demonstration of a nuclear propulsion system with applications for both agencies.

Space Force eyes space nuclear power for propulsion and payloads on future small reconnaissance satellites (Military & Aerospace Electronics) JETSON, which is part of the STAR-FISH initiative, seeks to develop enabling technologies for space-based radioisotope power systems.

Neighborhood watch, for space: DARPA seeks satellite operators for monitoring data 'service' (Breaking Defense) Greg Kuperman, Space-WATCH program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office told Breaking Defense they're actively seeking space companies to provide data, and later will figure out how to aggregate it into an effective, dispersed LEO-monitoring system.

Air Force Research Laboratory partners with Colorado university to improve space awareness, AI research (Stars and Stripes) CU Boulder was awarded a $5.54 million cooperative agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory to research three main elements: space domain awareness, or the capacity to detect, track and identify objects and debris in space; artificial intelligence, or spacecraft autonomy; and hypersonics.

Space Technology

Airbus finalises JUICE ready for its mission to Jupiter (Airbus) The Airbus-built JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer mission) spacecraft will shortly leave Toulouse, France, for Kourou, French Guiana, for lift-off on an Ariane 5 in April 2023. Shipment is expected in early February.

Raytheon to develop planning software for military cargo missions that would fly on space rockets - SpaceNews (SpaceNews) Raytheon won a $8.7 million contract to develop mission planning software for the U.S. Air Force rocket cargo program.

LEO satellite communications come to Earth | TechTarget (Networking) LEO satellite communications for mobile connectivity is still nascent, but companies like Apple and T-Mobile plan to deliver the service soon. Learn how.

Space Science

‘Less clumpy’ universe may suggest existence of mysterious forces (the Guardian) Survey could mean there is a crucial component missing from so-called standard model of physics

How the James Webb Space Telescope broke the universe (MIT Technology Review) Scientists were in awe of the flood of data that arrived when the new space observatory booted up.

Twinkle, twinkle fading stars: Hiding in our brighter skies (AP NEWS) Every year, the night sky grows brighter, and the stars look dimmer. A new study that analyzes data from more than 50,000 amateur stargazers finds that artificial lighting is making the night sky about 10% brighter each year.

Space dust from 4.2bn-year-old asteroid could hold key to preventing cataclysmic collisions with Earth (the Guardian) Rubble pile asteroid is almost as old as the solar system, a sign that it can withstand great shocks and may be difficult to destroy, research suggests

Did the Seeds of Life Ride to Earth Inside an Asteroid? (WIRED) Biological amino acids could have celestial or terrestrial roots. An experiment simulated their formation in deep space—but the mystery isn’t solved yet.

Karen Meech Awarded 2023 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics (AIP) University of Hawai’i astronomer recognized for interdisciplinary research exploring comets and the origins of water on Earth

Threats and Risks to Space Systems

‘Backdoor’ to Attack Satellites: CSO Sees Cyber Risks in Space Force Ground Systems (Air & Space Forces Magazine) Space Force Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said the Russia-Ukraine War has highlighted the need for cyber to protect satellites from attack.

To Protect Satellites, Secure Your Networks, Chief of Space Ops Says (Defense One) Cyber attacks can undermine space-based capabilities, Gen. Chance Saltzman said.

Miscellanea

A 19-foot asteroid will come ‘very close’ to Earth tonight, NASA says (Washington Post) The truck-sized asteroid will pass Earth on Jan. 26, in what NASA says will be one of the closest approaches by a near-Earth object on record.

AI is helping us search for intelligent alien life – and we’ve found 8 strange new signals (The Conversation) AI’s ability to identify ‘technosignatures’ missed by classical algorithms is an exciting step forward for radio astronomers.

Aliens or spies? What to make of the government’s new UFO report (The Hill) The report notes 171 of the 510 UAP sightings “demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis.”

Spotted a UFO? There’s an App for That (WIRED) Enigma Labs launches a project to crowdsource and quantify data about “unidentified aerial phenomena.”

Is there life on Mars? Nasa’s super camera spots ‘bear’s face’ on red planet (The Telegraph) Scientists in Arizona discover 2,000 metre-wide face - complete with nose, eyes and a head

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