WebProNews

Category: SpaceRevolution

  • SpaceX Announces First All-Commercial Space Flight

    SpaceX Announces First All-Commercial Space Flight

    SpaceX has announced the first-ever all-commercial space flight, consisting exclusively of civilian pilot and passengers.

    SpaceX has been on the forefront of commercializing space travel, and today’s announcement is a major step in that direction. The mission, named “Inspiration4,” is targeting the fourth quarter of 2021 at the earliest.

    The flight will be piloted by Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments. He is also donating the remaining three seats to members of the general public.

    The Inspiration4 crew will receive commercial astronaut training by SpaceX on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft, orbital mechanics, operating in microgravity, zero gravity, and other forms of stress testing. They will go through emergency preparedness training, spacesuit and spacecraft ingress and egress exercises, as well as partial and full mission simulations.

    This multi-day journey, orbiting Earth every 90 minutes along a customized flight path, will be carefully monitored at every step by SpaceX mission control. Upon conclusion of the mission, Dragon will reenter Earth’s atmosphere for a soft water landing off the coast of Florida.

    It’s a safe bet Inspiration4 will soon be followed by other flights of its kind, further democratizing space travel.

  • COVID Has Really Impacted Aerospace… and the Air Force

    COVID Has Really Impacted Aerospace… and the Air Force

    “COVID has really impacted the aerospace industry in this nation and nations around the world disproportionately to other industries… and the Air Force has not been exempt from these impacts,” says former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Dr. Will Roper:

    COVID Has Really Impacted Aerospace… and the Air Force

    COVID has really impacted the aerospace industry in this nation and nations around the world disproportionately to other industries. The Air Force has not been exempt from these impacts. We have had to go into a wartime posture and engage with exceptional authorities and funding to keep the aerospace industry, which allows us to go to war, whole.

    But aside from the crisis response that we’ve all been in it’s forced us to do some serious reflection about how we engage with production and supply chains going forward. How does the Air Force need to change the way it views its future self so that we’re not just more ready for a crisis when it occurs but we’re actually designing better systems, doing better engineering, and using technology more effectively? Systems that we need to go to war are going to be hidden behind doors where their vulnerabilities are never going to be exposed because of secrecy.

    Secrecy Hinders Our Ability To Digitally Go To War

    We’re moving into an era where we’re leveraging commercial technology more frequently. Because of that, we can no longer hope that secrecy, keeping our systems classified, will be the sole means for us to be secure. We need to find a new paradigm where openness is also part of our security posture. Now we’re not going to be able to copy commercial industry one for one. Our systems in many cases don’t have a commercial analog. We can’t quickly replace them.

    We’re not in a competition where spirals occur in years. Many of our aerospace breakthroughs, especially those in technologies like stealth, take time to do. Secrecy is going to continue to be part of the equation. But secrecy can’t be the catch-all approach to how we ensure systems are able to digitally go to war and be ready to fight in a cyber environment against an adversary as capable as we are.

    Containerization Solves The Secrecy Problem

    The software development capabilities that technologies like Kubernetes or containerization and Istio bring in to the Air Force. It’s amazing that companies like Google that have now transitioned this to an open-source driven initiative have solved a lot of what we would have to solve as a military. How do you write code in a development environment, in that tech stack that may also represent the physical aspects of your system, but it certainly represents the software components?

    How do you go from your development environment out to the edge securely and know your code will run the same way. Containerization solves that problem for us. The military is behind and adopting it. It’s not old but this technology is moving through industry as fast as Linux did. If we don’t get off the dime we will be left behind. Keep pushing the Air Force and Space Force on this. Do not let us get comfortable.

    COVID Has Really Impacted Aerospace… and the Air Force
  • SpaceX Completes 17th Starlink Launch, Passing 1,000 Satellites

    SpaceX Completes 17th Starlink Launch, Passing 1,000 Satellites

    SpaceX has launched its 17th round of Starlink satellites, brining the total number to 1,015.

    Starlink is a satellite constellation aimed at bringing internet access to underserved communities around the world. The company’s service is available in some parts of the US, and recently became available in the UK, its first international market.

    Unlike traditional satellite internet, Starlink’s low-Earth orbit allows it to provide speeds and latency that rival Earth-bound broadband. What’s more, the service is reasonably priced, making it an ideal option for people who have traditionally struggled to have reliable internet access.

    With today’s launch, Starlink now has over a 1,000 satellites in orbit. While impressive, it’s still far short of the 12,000 satellites the company is already approved to launch, or the additional 30,000 — for a total of 42,000 — the company hopes to eventually send up.

  • OneWeb Raises Funding From SoftBank and Hughes

    OneWeb Raises Funding From SoftBank and Hughes

    OneWeb, a company dedicated to satellite-based internet, has raised additional funding from SoftBank and Hughes Network Systems.

    OneWeb has been working to launch a constellation of satellites in low-Earth orbit to provide internet access. When compared with traditional satellite internet services, low-Earth orbit provides speeds and latency that rivals traditional broadband.

    OneWeb is one of the prime competitors to SpaceX’s Starlink service, although OneWeb has yet to achieve the success of Starlink. The company declared bankruptcy in 2020, emerging from Chapter 11 in November.

    2021 is already looking brighter for OneWeb, with investments from Hughes Network and SoftBank, bringing its total funding to $1.4 billion. The company is now fully funded for the first stage of its constellation, totally 648 satellites, which it plans to have operational by the end of 2022.

    “We are delighted to welcome the investment from SoftBank and Hughes,” said Executive Chairman of OneWeb. “Both are deeply familiar with our business, share our vision for the future, and their commitment allows us to capitalise on the significant growth opportunity ahead for OneWeb. We gain from their experience and capabilities, as we deliver a unique LEO network for the world.”

    A big factor in OneWeb’s favor is its streamlined plans, which it announced on January 13. The company had originally asked the FCC for licenses to 47,884 satellites. Now the company only plans on using 6,372.

    Hopefully OneWeb’s latest funding will help it become a viable competitor to Starlink, giving consumers more choice in a burgeoning market.

  • Starlink Internet Service Expanding to the UK

    Starlink Internet Service Expanding to the UK

    Elon Musk’s second company has hit a major milestone, expanding its Starlink internet service to the UK, its first international market.

    Starlink is a satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit that provides internet access. Unlike previous incarnations of satellite internet, Starlink’s low-Earth orbit allows it provide speeds and latency that are competitive with traditional broadband. In fact, early adopters are reporting speeds in excess of 150 Mbps download, more than 30 Mbps upload and latency in the 30s.

    With a successful beta test in the US and Canada, Starlink has now been approved for use in the UK, with the first kits already reaching people’s homes, according to Business Insider.

    Philip Hall, a resident of rural Devon in southwest England was only getting 0.5 Mbps with his previous internet service. After receiving the Starlink equipment, he’s now averaging 85 Mbps.

    “Within the hour we ran a Zoom quiz with grandchildren — it was wonderful,” he told BI.

    The company has also received approval for Greece, Germany, and Australia. If people continue to see the results initial adopters are seeing, Starlink could be a game-changer for rural and underserved communities.

  • Elon Musk Will Fund Mars Colonization By Selling His Possessions

    Elon Musk Will Fund Mars Colonization By Selling His Possessions

    Elon Musk knows the value of putting your money where your mouth is, as he plans to personally fund Mars colonization.

    Musk has made no secret of his belief that humanity must become a spacefaring race in order to survive. His company SpaceX is working toward that goal, and is one of the leading corporations involved in space exploration.

    One of Musk’s primary goals is to colonize Mars. The tech mogul has previously stated his plan to send 1 million people to mars by 2050, using a fleet of 1,000 SpaceX Starships.

    Needless to say, such lofty plans will involve tremendous expenditures, which Musk has a plan for: He’s selling his homes and worldly possessions to help fund his Mars dream.

    “I think it is important for humanity to become a spacefaring civilization and a multiplanet species. And it’s going to take a lot of resources to build a city on Mars,” Musk told Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner, via Business Insider. “I want to be able to contribute as much as possible to the city on Mars. That means just a lot of capital.” In Musk’s eyes, parting ways with his material possessions also signals that he’s committed to going to Mars.”

    It’s a safe bet SpaceX will have a much easier time gaining support and investors for its efforts when its CEO is demonstrating such a high level of commitment.

  • Japan’s Solution to Space Junk: Wooden Satellites

    Japan’s Solution to Space Junk: Wooden Satellites

    Japan is working to address the growing issue of space junk, with plans to launch satellites made of wood.

    Space debris is a growing problem, with an estimated 14,000 pieces larger than 4 inches, 200,000 pieces between 0.4 and 4 inches, and possibly millions smaller than 0.4 inches. Unfortunately, the problem is only going to get worse as the commercialization of space continues.

    As companies continue to deploy satellite constellations for internet access, engage in commercial flights and more, space junk will continue to add up. Adding to the concern is what happens when old, defunct satellites fall back to earth, potentially releasing harmful elements on reentry, or scattering dangerous debris across the Earth’s surface.

    Japanese company Sumitomo Forestry, along with Kyoto University, is working on a solution involving wooden satellites, according to the BBC. The two organizations are experimenting with different types of wood to find one that can withstand the rigors of space. If successful, wooden satellites would eliminate much of the threat by completely burning up in the atmosphere.

    “We are very concerned with the fact that all the satellites which re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years,” Takao Doi, a professor at Kyoto University and Japanese astronaut, told the BBC.

    “Eventually it will affect the environment of the Earth.”

    “The next stage will be developing the engineering model of the satellite, then we will manufacture the flight model,” Professor Doi added.

    If Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry are successful, their work could revolutionize the space industry and potentially solve one of its biggest challenges.

  • Space Force Guardians — The Sixth Military Branch Names Its Personnel

    Space Force Guardians — The Sixth Military Branch Names Its Personnel

    They may not be Guardians of the Galaxy, but Space Force has chosen “Guardians” for the name of its personnel.

    Space Force is the sixth branch of the US military, sharing the same relationship with the Air Force as the Marines do with the Navy. The new military branch was formed as more countries and corporations are turning their attention to the final frontier. Space Force’s goal is to protect US interest as space becomes both commercialized and militarized.

    Space Force made the announcement via its Twitter feed:

  • Scientists May Be Able to Create Oxygen on Mars

    Scientists May Be Able to Create Oxygen on Mars

    Scientists may have discovered a way to create oxygen on Mars, a crucial step toward long-term colonization.

    Interest in colonizing Mars has increased in recent years. Many, including Tesla and SpaceX’s Elon Musk, believe the human race needs the kind of insurance policy a second planetary home would provide. Especially as climate change has become a bigger threat, many believe it’s vital to colonize other planets. Musk has even said he’s confident SpaceX will send humans to Mars in roughly six years.

    One of the biggest challenges to long-term colonization, however, is oxygen generation. Without a native method to produce oxygen on Mars, any colonization efforts would be limited by the quantity of oxygen that could be brought on resupply missions.

    Scientists believe they have discovered a solution, however. NASA is currently working with MOXIE (Mars Oxygen in Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) to convert carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere to oxygen. MOXIE operates along the same principle as trees on Earth.

    According to CNN, however, scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have come up with a method they believe will compliment MOXIE and provide a second source of oxygen. The new method, proposed by Professor Vijay Ramani and his colleagues, uses salty water to generate oxygen.

    Despite its red desert appearance, Mars has quite a bit of ice. In addition, there appears to be a salty lake, along with a number of ponds, under the southern icecap.

    “The presence of the brine is fortuitous because it lowers freezing point of the water. You take the salty, brackish water and electrolyze that. Our process takes the water and splits it into hydrogen and oxygen,” Ramani said.

    While some NASA personnel are doubtful the process will work, due to the frost point on Mars, it appears there are no shortage of possibilities for generating oxygen on Mars. That’s one less hurdle to long-term colonization.

  • SpaceX Wins $885 Million In Subsidies to Expand Starlink

    SpaceX Wins $885 Million In Subsidies to Expand Starlink

    Elon Musk’s other company, SpaceX, has won $885 million in federal subsidies to help it expand its Starlink internet service.

    Starlink is the constellation of satellites SpaceX is using to provide internet access to underserved regions and communities. Unlike existing satellite options, such as HughesNet, Starlink satellites maintain a low-Earth orbit. This gives the service much lower ping and higher speeds than competing services.

    Starlink opened up beta access to customers in the latitudes currently covered by the constellation, and the results have been impressive. Customers have reported speeds in excess of 150 Mbps and ping as low as 39 ms.

    The company has now won an $885 million grant to extend its service. The Federal Communications Commission published the list of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I Auction winners. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) features prominently on the list.

    SpaceX initially plans on sending 12,000 satellites into orbit, with the constellation eventually including as many as 42,000. Given the expense of launching those satellites, the federal subsidies will likely go quickly.

  • NASA Concerned About Planned Constellation of Broadband Satellites

    NASA Concerned About Planned Constellation of Broadband Satellites

    NASA has expressed concerns over a planned constellation of broadband satellites from AST & Science.

    AST & Science is a Texas-based company that plans to launch a constellation of satellites that will provide 4G and 5G broadband to cell phones. NASA, however, objects (PDF) to the company’s plans on two grounds.

    First, the constellation will orbit approximately 450 miles (720 km) above the Earth. This is directly in the orbital range of the A-Train, “a group of ten NASA, USGS, and international partner (CNES, JAXA) missions that have a mean altitude of 705 km but have osculating altitudes between 690 and 740 km.”

    The second issue is the size of AST’s satellites. Because the satellites will have massive antennas on them, each one will take up a 30 meter radius, as much as 10 times the size of an A-Train satellite. This would result in substantial course corrections and mitigations.

    “Based on the results of a NASA CARA simulation tool, the number of mitigation actions required for a 30m hardbody radius (HBR) object in this orbit regime increases from ~2 to 6 per year—almost a tripling of what is observed presently,” writes NASA representative Samantha Fonder. “Second, the frequency of mitigation actions and associated planning efforts is of course multiplied by the number of spacecraft: for the completed constellation of 243 satellites, one can expect 1500 mitigation actions per year and perhaps 15,000 planning activities; this would equate to four maneuvers and forty active planning activities on any given day.”

    Accounting for these course corrections would require an entirely new, automated communication system between the different satellites. Since many of the existing satellites are older models, the upgrades would be challenging and costly.

    In contrast, SpaceX’s Starlink constellation orbits at roughly 340 miles (550 km), putting it well below the range of the A-Train.

    This is not the first time concerns have been raised about the proliferation of commercial satellites. Astronomers have been voicing concern for some time over the impact these constellations will have on astronomy.

  • Starlink Beta Already Delivering Over 150 Mbps Speeds

    Starlink Beta Already Delivering Over 150 Mbps Speeds

    Starlink’s internet service beta is already exceeding expectations, as it delivers faster speeds than promised.

    Starlink launched its beta on October 26, inviting individuals who had previously signed up and live within the current range of service. The company called it the “Better Than Nothing Beta,” perhaps in an effort to lower expectations.

    It seems lowering expectation may not have been required, as the initial reports indicate the service is exceeding expectations. Starlink said users would see speeds between 50 and 150 Mbps. One user in Montana, however, posted a screenshot of their speed test showing that Starlink was delivering 174 Mbps download, 33 Mbps upload and a mere 39 ms ping.

    In the Reedit thread discussing the results, users discuss how these speeds are 95% faster than what most Americans have. As the original poster says, “Starlink will forever change the game” for rural Americans.

  • Microsoft Makes the Leap to Space With Azure Space

    Microsoft Makes the Leap to Space With Azure Space

    Microsoft is in second place in the Earth-based cloud market, but it looks to be positioning itself to be the premier cloud provider for space.

    The company announced the latest version of its Azure cloud program, Azure Space, designed to be the “the platform and ecosystem of choice for the mission needs of the space community.” As companies large and small turn to space for communications, travel and colonization, cloud computing will be an important part of the transition.

    Microsoft has also partnered with SpaceX to pair Azure with the Starlink satellite system. Starlink is a low-Earth orbit constellation of satellites designed to provide internet access that competes with terrestrial broadband. Unlike legacy satellite internet providers, such as HughesNet and Viasat, Starlink’s low-Earth orbit provides faster speeds and much lower latency, inline with traditional broadband options.

    The combination of Starlink and Azure will help the two companies compete with Amazon and Blue Origin, as well as provide service to customers in remote regions.

    “As the importance of data to society has increased, so too has the importance of reliable and diverse pathways for connectivity,” writes Tom Keane – Corporate Vice President, Azure Global. “Our global network of over 160,000 miles of subsea, terrestrial, and metro optical fiber helps billions of people connect all around the world. However, many of our customers also operate in remote, rugged environments and find it hard to keep pace with their increased need for access to data and bandwidth.”

    In addition to competing with Amazon, the Microsoft and SpaceX partnership will help both companies play a pivotal role in future US space operations.

    “The two companies also plan to further connect Starlink with Microsoft’s global network — including Azure edge devices — integrate SpaceX’s ground stations with Azure networking capabilities,” writes Jennifer Sokolowsky, in a company blog post.

    “SpaceX recently won a contract with the Space Development Agency to build new satellites – separate from the Starlink system – in support of a Space Tracking Layer defense system capable of detecting and tracking ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles. Microsoft will be join the SpaceX team on this project.”

    It appears that Microsoft is going all-in on the final frontier, and may quickly establish itself as the platform of choice for space operations.

  • Microsoft Launches Azure Space – Partners With SpaceX, SES

    Microsoft Launches Azure Space – Partners With SpaceX, SES

    Microsoft announced today that it is launching Azure Space to focus on the burgeoning space industry. Microsoft says that Azure Space will bring together Azure technology and an extensive network of expert partners offering solutions for the industry. Additionally, Microsoft announced a major collaboration with SpaceX to provide satellite-powered internet connectivity on Azure.

    “Today we’re launching Azure Space,” tweeted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “A thriving ecosystem of satellite providers is essential to meet the world’s growing network needs, and we’re expanding our offerings to provide access to satellite data and connectivity from Azure.”

    “Microsoft is taking the next giant leap in cloud computing – to space,” tweeted Azure head Tom Keene. “With the enormous challenges #space presents, there also comes great opportunity. Today, I am sharing details about our strategy for Azure Space.”

    Tom Keene, Corporate Vice President of Azure Global, further discusses Azure Space:

    Today, Microsoft is taking the next giant leap in cloud computing… to space. At Microsoft, our approach to space is different. This difference is evident across our platform, product, partnerships, and people.

    We’re very excited about about the partnership between Microsoft and SpaceX and all of the incredible innovation that it brings for our customers and all of the possibilities that it offers to the future.

    By building on new and existing partnerships within the space community, learning and leaning in to our culture of innovation and investing in people we are extending the Azure Edge capabilities with worldwide satellite connectivity.”

    “If you think about Microsoft which is empowering people and organizations to achieve more and then you put that with SES which about doing the extraordinary in space to deliver amazing experiences anywhere on Earth and just look at the intersection of this,” says the CEO of SES Networks JP Hemingway. “I’ve got these fantastic cloud capabilities, this great intelligence, and we want to get to as many people as we can around the globe. Then you add that to what SES is doing. It’s providing that vehicle to get to everybody around the world whether they’re floating, flying, or in really hard to reach places.”

    “What’s changing for space is that technology is propelling us forward,” says Azure Space Senior Director Steve Kitay. “Microsoft Azure Space is focusing on developing partnerships. There are many companies in the space community that have tremendous capabilities. We’re looking at bringing new and unique value along side those companies to the customers.”

    Microsoft Launches Azure Space – Partners With SpaceX, SES
  • SpaceX Launches 60 Starlink Satellites – Bullseye Sea Landing

    SpaceX Launches 60 Starlink Satellites – Bullseye Sea Landing

    SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Sunday morning.

    “You are watching a live webcast of our 14th Starlink mission,” said Andy Tran, a production supervisor at SpaceX. “It’s also our 18th mission this year. To date, we’ve launched more than 750 Starlink satellites to orbit. Starlink is a constellation of satellites that can provide high-speed low-latency internet all over the globe, particularly in remote areas where connectivity is limited or completely unavailable. Today we will be performing two second-stage burns and deploying our 60 Starlink satellites at approximately one hour into the mission. The two burns allow us to deploy our satellites into a circular orbit which in turn helps them get to their final orbit much quicker.”

    Starlink Deploys 60 Satellites To Orbit

    “Our first stage is going to make its way back to Earth to attempt landing for the sixth time on our droneship in the Atlantic Ocean,” says Tran. “Right down the middle, Falcon 9 has landed. This particular booster has landed for the sixth time. This marks our 62nd successful recovery of a Falcon 9 first stage and the 32nd time we’ve landed on this particular droneship, ‘Of Course, I Still Love You.’ A great way to start off a Sunday.

    Falcon 9’s first stage previously supported Crew Dragon’s first demonstration mission to the International Space Station, launch of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, and three Starlink missions this year. Following stage separation, SpaceX landed Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Falcon 9’s fairing halves each previously supported two missions. The Starlink satellites deployed approximately 1 hour and 3 minutes after liftoff.

    “As our Starlink network is still in its early stages, the Starlink team continues to test the system, collecting latency data and performing speed tests of the service,” says the SpaceX team in a blog post. “The team also recently installed Starlinks on the Administrative Center building and about 20 private homes on the Hoh Tribe Reservation, located in a remote area of western Washington State where internet access is limited or completely unavailable.”

  • NASA Taps Nokia to Build Moon’s First 4G Network

    NASA Taps Nokia to Build Moon’s First 4G Network

    Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia may be fighting for network dominance on Earth, but in outer space Nokia is the clear winner.

    The Finnish company has announced a deal with NASA to provide the first 4G network on the moon. Communication on the moon is becoming an important issue as interest in lunar colonization grows. Many see colonizing the Moon as the first step toward colonizing Mars and other planets.

    “Leveraging our rich and successful history in space technologies, from pioneering satellite communication to discovering the cosmic microwave background radiation produced by the Big Bang, we are now building the first ever cellular communications network on the Moon,” said Marcus Weldon, Chief Technology Officer at Nokia and Nokia Bell Labs President. “Reliable, resilient and high-capacity communications networks will be key to supporting sustainable human presence on the lunar surface. By building the first high performance wireless network solution on the Moon, Nokia Bell Labs is once again planting the flag for pioneering innovation beyond the conventional limits.”

    Space exploration is increasingly big business, with transportation companies, cloud providers and now telecommunication companies all getting onboard. Providing the first lunar cellphone network is a big win for Nokia.

  • Video Timeline: Richest Billionaires Over The Last 10 Years

    Video Timeline: Richest Billionaires Over The Last 10 Years

    Forbes created a cool two-minute video timeline of the richest billionaires in America over the last ten years. The current wealthiest American, of course, is Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos who is worth $179 billion. He is followed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates who is only worth $111 billion. Interestingly, both of these billionaires would be even richer had Bezos not divorced and Gates didn’t give away a huge chunk of his fortune to his family foundation.

    Bezos’s divorce cost him $38 billion in stock at 2019 prices. If he had stayed married and held onto his shares he would be $57 billion richer and be worth an astounding $236 billion. Bill Gates has reportedly given away over $50 billion to charitable causes over the years. If he had held on to his Microsoft shares who knows, he might even be richer than Jeff Bezos!

    Rounding out the current Top Ten Richest American Billionaires are Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg at $85 billion, investor Warren Buffett at $73.5 billion, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and current potential TikTok investor at $72 billion, former long-time Microsoft CEO and current Clippers owner Steve Ballmer at $69 billion, PayPal-Tesla-SpaceX entrepreneur Elon Musk at $68 billion, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at $67.5 and 65.7 billion, and last but not least Sam Walton daughter and Walmart heiress Alice Walton at $62.3 billion. Notably, Alice Walton is the richest woman in the world.

    Video Timeline: Richest Billionaires Over The Last 10 Years
  • NASA: America’s Space Agenda Is Really On Fire

    NASA: America’s Space Agenda Is Really On Fire

    “America’s space economy and America’s space agenda is really on fire right now,” says NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “That’s in large part because of President Trump and in fact bipartisan support in the House and Senate. What we are doing is inspiring the nation for American greatness to go out decades into the future. It really is starting right now with America’s and President Trump’s Moon to Mars program. Without him, this would not be happening.”

    NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine

    Jim Bridenstine, Administrator of NASA, discusses the NASA Economic Impact Report that was released today and says that under Trump America’s space agenda is on fire:

    America’s Space Agenda Is Really On Fire

    Today’s NASA Economic Impact Report is about direct economic output. What’s not in the report are all of the advancements that come from NASA that get commercialized over decades. For example, satellites and internet broadband. Then from there, we think about not just communications but navigation, how we produce food, and how we produce energy. Also, how we predict the weather, how we do disaster relief, and national security.

    President Trump is as focused as any president in history on America’s space agenda. That’s not just exploration. It’s also national security and defense. I used to say, President Trump is more supportive of space than any president since John F. Kennedy. But I will also tell you, John F. Kennedy didn’t create the Space Force. America’s space economy and America’s space agenda is really on fire right now. That’s in large part because of President Trump and in fact bipartisan support in the House and Senate.

    Economic Impact Of Artemis: 120,000 Jobs by 2021

    The economic impact of the Artemis Program alone is over 60,000 jobs in 2019. The agenda to get to the Moon is ramping up right now. By 2021, those numbers are going to double. These are not low paying jobs. These are high tech jobs employing highly qualified people. These are the kind of things that also inspire the next generation to go into the STEM fields to make sure that America remains preeminent in technology.

    If you just walk around NASA today and ask people why they work at the agency, they will tell you about how inspired they were when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon. Then we did five Moon missions after that. What we are doing is inspiring the nation for American greatness to go out decades into the future. It really is starting right now with America’s and President Trump’s Moon to Mars program. Without him, this would not be happening.

  • NASA Releases Economic Impact Study

    NASA Releases Economic Impact Study

    NASA released its first-ever Economic Impact Study today.  Combining all NASA activities, the agency generated more than $64.3 billion in total economic output during fiscal year 2019, supported more than 312,000 jobs nationwide, and generated an estimated $7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes throughout the United States. A summary of the study is also available.

    An ongoing concern among some politicians has been that spending on space is a waste of money when the money could be used to increase social welfare spending or other government programs. What this report proves is that NASA is actually a generator of jobs and wealth while simultaneously improving the world’s standard of living.

    “In this new era of human spaceflight, NASA is contributing to economies locally and nationally, fueling growth in industries that will define the future, and supporting tens of thousands of new jobs in America,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “With an investment of just one-half of 1% of the federal budget, NASA generates significant total economic output annually. This study confirms, and puts numbers, to what we have long understood – that taxpayer investment in America’s space program yields tremendous returns that strengthen our nation on several fronts – a stronger economy, advances in science and technology, and improvements to humanity.”

    NASA Employment Impacts By State

    Additional key findings of the study include:

    • Every state in the country benefits economically through NASA activities. Forty-three states have an economic impact of more than $10 million. Of those 43 states, eight have an economic impact of $1 billion or more.
    • The agency’s Moon to Mars initiative, which includes the Artemis program, supports more than 69,000 jobs, $14 billion in economic output, and $1.5 billion in tax revenue. The agency’s Moon to Mars programs provided about 22 percent of NASA’s economic impact. These figures are expected to double in 2021.
    • NASA has more than 700 active international agreements for various scientific research and technology development activities in FY2019. The International Space Station is a significant representative of international partnerships – representing 15 nations and five space agencies and has been operating for 20 years. 
    • NASA spinoff technologies provide an impact on American lives beyond dollars and jobs. The agency has recorded more than 2,000 spinoffs since 1976. For example, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed, in just 37 days, a ventilator specifically for coronavirus patients and, after securing an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, made the design available to select manufacturers at no cost.
    • Scientific research and development – which fuels advancements in science and technology that can help improve daily life on Earth and for humanity – enjoys the largest single-sector impact, accounting for 16% of the overall economic impact of NASA’s Moon to Mars program.
  • Starlink Satellites Ruin Astronomy Photos

    Starlink Satellites Ruin Astronomy Photos

    A Space X Starlink satellite is being blamed for ruining photos of the NEOWISE comet.

    Space X, Amazon and a number of other companies are racing to deploy networks of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide high-speed internet access. Unfortunately, however, they may have a significant downside.

    Astronomers have warned that tens of thousands of objects orbiting the planet could have a disastrous impact on efforts to observe the universe. Many of the satellites are highly reflective, possibly creating light interference. Even ones designed not to be reflective, can still physically interfere with line-of-sight if their orbit takes them between an observer and the object being observed. It appears those concerns are not without merit.

    According to The International Business Times, astrophotographer Daniel Lopez was recording pictures of NEOWISE when Starlink comments passed in from of the comet. The end result was photos with light streaks from the satellites, effectively blocking a good shot of NEOWISE.

    As more and more companies gain permission to launch satellites, this issue will need to be addressed. Otherwise, astronomers may find their profession exponentially more difficult.

  • AWS Looks to the Final Frontier of Cloud Computing: Space

    AWS Looks to the Final Frontier of Cloud Computing: Space

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced a new space business segment aimed at taking cloud computing farther than ever.

    Space-based business ventures are coming into their own and getting off the ground (pun intended), with space-based internet, communications, cloud services and more. Manned space trips are increasing in frequency and importance, as countries are looking to the moon and Mars for possible colonization.

    AWS sees an opportunity to leverage their extensive cloud experience and portfolio to provide the backbone for these companies and industries. The new business unit, Aerospace and Satellite Solutions, will be run by retired Air Force Major Gen. Clint Crosier, who previously served as the director of Space Force Planning, referring to the latest branch of the US military.

    “We find ourselves in the most exciting time in space since the Apollo missions,” Crosier said in today’s announcement from Amazon. “I have watched AWS transform the IT industry over the last 10 years and be instrumental in so many space milestones. I am honored to join AWS to continue to transform the industry and propel the space enterprise forward.”

    Amazon’s investment in this space (pun intended again) illustrates the importance of the space industry to the US economy and technological future.