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Tag: Space Force

  • US Space Force Meet Australian Space Command

    US Space Force Meet Australian Space Command

    Australia is forming Space Command, aimed at protecting it and its allies’ interest in space.

    Once the domain of scientists and dreamers, space is increasingly becoming an important arena for governments and militaries around the world, each taking measures to protect their interests in space. The US, for example, created Space Force as a sixth branch of its military.

    Australia is taking a similar, but slightly different, approach. According to ABC News, the country plans to launch Space Command late this year. Rather than being a completely separate branch of the military, however, Space Command is likely to be a joint command operating across the Australian Defence Force.

    At the same time, Australia has no intention of developing offensive capabilities to take out other countries’ satellites.

    “Space is a war-fighting domain but we’re not going to militarise space,” said Air Marshal Hupfeld.

    “What we will be looking to do if there is someone who doesn’t (follow international rules) is point it out,” he said.

    ABC News reports that Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts, current Head of Air Force Capability, has been tapped to lead the new Space Command.

    “The first person I remember ever having a material impact on my ambition was Neil Armstrong,” she said.

    “In 1969, as a three-year-old, I watched on in awe as Lieutenant Armstrong descended the ladder of the lunar lander and uttered the first words ever spoken on the Moon.

    “It was an incredible moment for humanity and millions of aspiring engineers that were probably created at that moment — I was no different.”

  • Raining Satellites: Solar Storm Knocks Starlink Satellites From Orbit

    Raining Satellites: Solar Storm Knocks Starlink Satellites From Orbit

    Starlink has suffered a major setback, with a solar storm knocking some 40 satellites from orbit.

    Starlink is the satellite constellation SpaceX has been deploying to provide high-speed internet access around the world. The company launched 49 new satellites last week, but a solar storm has taken out the majority of them.

    The Starlink constellation is in low-Earth orbit (LEO). This allows Starlink to deliver much faster internet performance than legacy satellite systems. It also means that any satellite that fails its system checks will quickly fall out of orbit and burn up in the atmosphere, preventing it from becoming another piece of orbiting space junk.

    Unfortunately, deploying the satellites in LEO means they are far more vulnerable to atmospheric conditions than satellites in higher orbit, as SpaceX explains:

    Unfortunately, the satellites deployed on Thursday were significantly impacted by a geomagnetic storm on Friday. These storms cause the atmosphere to warm and atmospheric density at our low deployment altitudes to increase. In fact, onboard GPS suggests the escalation speed and severity of the storm caused atmospheric drag to increase up to 50 percent higher than during previous launches. The Starlink team commanded the satellites into a safe-mode where they would fly edge-on (like a sheet of paper) to minimize drag—to effectively “take cover from the storm”—and continued to work closely with the Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron and LeoLabs to provide updates on the satellites based on ground radars.

    Preliminary analysis show the increased drag at the low altitudes prevented the satellites from leaving safe-mode to begin orbit raising maneuvers, and up to 40 of the satellites will reenter or already have reentered the Earth’s atmosphere.

    Starlink says the satellites pose no risk to people or terrestrial objects.

    The deorbiting satellites pose zero collision risk with other satellites and by design demise upon atmospheric reentry—meaning no orbital debris is created and no satellite parts hit the ground. This unique situation demonstrates the great lengths the Starlink team has gone to ensure the system is on the leading edge of on-orbit debris mitigation.

  • 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
  • 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:

  • 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.

  • Space Lettuce Is As Good As Earth Lettuce

    Space Lettuce Is As Good As Earth Lettuce

    Good news for the U.S. Space Force: Personnel will still be able to get a healthy helping of veggies, as space lettuce is as nutritious as Earth lettuce.

    According to New Scientist, researchers tested three batches of red lettuce grown on the International Space Station (ISS). The lettuce was grown between 2014 and 2016, and was compared to batches grown on Earth under comparable environmental conditions.

    There were more microorganisms on the space lettuce than the Earth lettuce, although this was not unexpected. “Astronauts have their own microflora and then there are just things that live in the environment of a space station,” said Gioia Massa, one of the researchers.

    The nutritional value of the space lettuce was very similar to Earth lettuce, according to Massa. “We were a little surprised by these results as we thought the nutrient levels in the plants may accumulate differently while in flight.”

    The researchers are now trying additional vegetables, such as cabbage and kale. The findings should be a boon for the burgeoning space industry, and especially for long-term space travel, as it opens the possibility of producing space-grown nutritious food.

  • U.S. Space Force Deploying Space Fence

    U.S. Space Force Deploying Space Fence

    The newest branch of the U.S. military is wasting no time making its presence known as it prepares to deploy its Space Fence, according to Popular Mechanics.

    Space Fence is a radar system designed to track objects in orbit as small as four inches in diameter. It is a significant upgrade over the previous system, which could only track objects in low-Earth orbit, or 99 to 1,200 miles. Space Fence, on the other hand, can track objects in medium-Earth orbit (up to 22,000 miles) and geosynchronous orbit (beyond 22,000 miles). While the old system could track up to 2,000 objects, Spence Fence should be able “to detect five to ten times more.”

    As space flights become more common, debris poses a serious risk to spacecraft. Everyone remembers the catastrophes that happen in Sandra Bullock’s Gravity, and Space Fence should help spacecraft avoid those circumstances.

    The new radar system will also be able to track Russian and Chinese satellites, “predicting when their satellites will be over the United States and U.S. forces abroad.” Space Fence is based on the remote Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific and could be online as early as this month.

  • U.S. Space Force Completes First Nuclear-Capable Missile Test

    U.S. Space Force Completes First Nuclear-Capable Missile Test

    BGR is reporting that the newly formed U.S. Space Force has just conducted a successful nuclear-capable missile test.

    As BGR points out, there’s nothing specifically interesting about a routine missile test. What makes this one stand out is that it was conducted by the 30th Space Wing, part of the newly formed Space Force.

    The sixth branch of the U.S. military was formed when President Trump signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that, among other things, authorized its creation. Space Force falls under the Department of the Air Force, similar to how the Marines fall under the Department of the Navy, and will be responsible for protecting U.S. interests in space.

    Tuesday night’s test is an indication the new branch is not wasting any time spooling up.

  • ESA Opens Plant To Make Oxygen From Moon Dust

    ESA Opens Plant To Make Oxygen From Moon Dust

    The European Space Agency (ESA) has created a prototype oxygen plant to create oxygen from moon dust, according to a post on the agency’s site.

    Space exploration is once again front and center on the agendas of governments and corporations alike. The U.S. recently created Space Force as a sixth branch of the military, Amazon established new headquarters for its space-based initiative and a myriad of other companies are working to cash in on the new space age. Unfortunately, long-term colonization still poses a number of significant hurdles, not the least of which is oxygen.

    The ESA may be on to a solution, however, at least in the context of a future lunar base. According to their post, “samples returned from the lunar surface confirm that lunar regolith is made up of 40–45% percent oxygen by weight, its single most abundant element. But this oxygen is bound up chemically as oxides in the form of minerals or glass, so is unavailable for immediate use.”

    The method used to separate the oxygen out, salt electrolysis, was originally developed for commercial alloy and metal production. As a side benefit, the process of harvesting the oxygen “also converts the regolith into usable metal alloys.”

    The potential benefits go far beyond just having a way to produce breathable air, important though that is. The oxygen can also be used to create fuel on a lunar base, while the alloy byproducts may have a use in manufacturing, spacecraft repair and other applications.

    The current prototype has been set up in the Netherlands, and the ESA is shooting for the mid-2020s for the first technology demonstration.

  • It’s Official: Space Force Becomes the Military’s Sixth Branch

    It’s Official: Space Force Becomes the Military’s Sixth Branch

    Space.com is reporting that President Trump has officially signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, creating the U.S. Space Force (USSF) as the military’s sixth branch.

    As we reported a week ago, the House and Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act, setting aside funds to create the USSF and thereby consolidating the various elements related to space defense under a single branch of the military. The USSF will be part of the Department of the Air Force, just as the Marines are part of the Department of the Navy.

    In signing the bill, President Trump appointed General Jay Raymond as the first Chief of Space Operations. General Raymond will also represent the USSF on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The USSF “will be stood up over the next 18 months, military officials said.”

    “It was nearly half a century from Kitty Hawk to the creation of the Air Force. And now it’s 50 years after Apollo 11 that we create the Space Force,” President Trump said at the signing at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. “It’s a big moment. That’s a big moment, and we’re all here for it. Space … going to be a lot of things happening in space. Because space is the world’s newest warfighting domain. Amid grave threats to our national security, American superiority in space is absolutely vital. And we’re leading, but we’re not leading by enough. But very shortly, we’ll be leading by a lot. The Space Force will help us deter aggression and control the ultimate high ground.”

  • Aliens Beware! Congress Authorizes Creation of Space Force

    Aliens Beware! Congress Authorizes Creation of Space Force

    For the first time in 60 years, Congress has paved the way for the creation of a new military branch: the United States Space Force.

    Until now, American military interests in space have mainly fallen under the purview of the U.S. Air Force, specifically Air Force Space Command. Defense officials have argued, however, that the U.S. needs a dedicated space command that could take over from the Air Force, as well as consolidate other smaller elements that fall under other branches of the military.

    With next year’s defense spending bill, Congress has authorized the creation of the new military branch. The Air Force initially envisioned a starting force of approximately 200 individuals, with that number growing to 15,000 by the end of 2024.

    According to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) summary, published by the House Armed Services Committee, “The FY20 NDAA recognizes space as a warfighting domain and establishes the U.S. Space Force in Title 10 as the sixth Armed Service of the United States, under the U.S. Air Force. In doing so, the NDAA provides the Secretary of the Air Force with the authority to transfer Air Force personnel to the newly established Space Force. To minimize cost and bureaucracy, the Space Force will require no additional billets and remains with the President’s budget request.

    “The conference agreement creates a Chief of Space Operations (CSO) for the U.S. Space Force who will report directly to the Secretary of the Air Force and become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the first year, the CSO may also serve as the Commander of U.S. Space Command. The CSO will provide updates to the committees of jurisdiction every 60 days, with briefings and reports on implementation and establishment status.”

    Under this proposed structure, Space Force would enjoy a similar relationship to the Air Force as the U.S. Marines have with the Navy. The Marines fall under the authority of the Department of the Navy, although they are an autonomous branch of the military. Similarly, the Space Force CSO will report to the Secretary of the Air Force, yet the Force will be an autonomous military branch, complete with a member on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

    It’s a safe bet there will be plenty of interest in this new military branch, with Colorado Springs already hoping to be the Force’s headquarters.