Potpourri Edition: 2019 End of Year Updates
Space Butterfly: a nursery for baby stars (Courtesy of NASA)
“The universe is not indifferent to our existence – it depends on it.”
With the end of the year (and the decade too… maybe) fast approaching, it’s time for another annual tradition, started last year, at #TheSpaceBar: the Potpourri Edition! Without further ado, here is this year’s wide-ranging updates on prior posts. Happy Holidays and see you all next decade!
Lobbying for Spaceports
Late last year, I wrote a four-part series on the recent rise of spaceports, capitalizing on the continued growth of the commercial launch industry. With many local governments blindly enticed by this potentially lucrative field, some noticeable public backlash have been brewing against new spaceport proposals this year. These protests have occurred across the globe against proposed spaceports in United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. Complaints include concerns regarding adverse environmental impacts, noise pollution, and symbolic ones such as a prominent reminder of wealth disparity.
In attempting to change this narrative, the spaceport industry is coming up with a new message to get public’s backing. At a November meeting of the Global Spaceport Alliance, an industry group advocating for the growth of the spaceport industry, participants are increasingly promoting spaceports as 21st century innovation hubs, leading to job growth and economic development. However, with the commercial spaceflight industry still experiencing growing pains, some proponents of the industry are worried that the supply of launch sites might exceed the demand, leading to ghost facilities. But, others have pushed back against this perspective, noting that spaceports can concurrently serve as general aviation centers while waiting for commercial launch operations to pick up.
Satellite Constellations Blanking the Sky
This summer, I wrote about how satellite constellations could bring more connectivity globally by providing internet in places that are not reachable by traditional telecommunication infrastructure. But, building these sky-based infrastructures bring along some adverse impacts, especially related to light pollution and space debris. This problem is likely to exacerbate in the next decade with multiple satellite-internet mega-constellations becoming operational. By 2025, it is anticipated that 46,100 satellites will be sent into Outer Space, five times the total number of all objects launched into Outer Space since Sputnik 1’s fateful flight in 1957; so in the next 5 years, we will have launched many more satellites than we have in the last 60 years! Looks like Moore’s Law apply to satellites launches as well.
Cleaning up Space Debris
Speaking of satellite constellations, with increased commercial launch activities, the Low Earth Orbit is getting increasingly crowded and addressing space debris is becoming more and more pressing concern. Now, governmental agencies are entering the fray as well with the European Space Agency (ESA) hiring the Swiss startup ClearSpace Today for the world’s first-ever space debris removal mission. Expected to launch in 2025, the ClearSpace-1 mission will target a 100 kg Vespa (Vega Secondary Payload Adapter) upper stage left in a 800 km by 660 km attitude orbit since 2013 and attempt this defunct object’s capture and removal. The mission is expected to cost $129 million (117 million euros) in total, with $78 million (70 million euros) already allocated for the first three years of the program. With the rise of more commercial Outer Space companies, space debris removal will not just be an issue for governmental agencies but private companies as well as they seek to limit their potential liability and insurance costs.
Second Visitor from Another System: 2I/Borisov
In a nod to last year’s Potpourri Edition’s story on Space Rocks, we had another visitor from a foreign star system this year! Named 2I/Borisov, it shares many similar qualities to a “domestic” space rock; this foreign visitor, much like the ones in our solar system, is made up of similar water/ice composition and has a coma as well as a tail. Hence, 2I/Borisov is considered the first observed “comet” traveling from interstellar space.
Space Force: Dawn of a New Age
In a surprising turn of events, the United States Space Force has been established much quicker than I expected. With its own website already going live, Space Force will be the sixth branch of the U.S. armed forces. But at the very beginning, the U.S. Space Force is more of a military restructure than anything else: a reshuffle of Outer Space-related commands into its own service branch. For instance, the first chief of the U.S. Space Force (formally, the Chief of Space Operations) is General John Raymond, the current commander of the U.S. Space Command and Air Force Space Command. With his new role however, General Raymond—or whoever the Chief of Space Operations is at that point—will join the Joint Chiefs of Staff on December 20, 2020. Like the Marines Corp to the Navy, the U.S. Space Force will be heavily supported by Air Force’s existing infrastructure and overseen by the Air Force Secretary. This is probably welcomed as the Space Force’s initial funding is lower than requested: $40 million as opposed to the $72.4 million requested.
Shifting Sands in the Commercial Launch Industry
At the beginning of this year, I provided a comprehensive overview of the commercial space launch industry through a three-part series. Not a year has passed and so much has happened! While some companies are launching to new heights, others are going through reorganization or shutting down their services. With the industry still in its infancy, this is likely the short-term trend. Here are some of the highlights:
New Shepard Continuing its Streak
This year, Jeff Bezos has a lot to smile about Blue Origin, his Outer Space enterprise. Earlier in December, a Blue Origin’s New Shepard reusable rocket performed its sixth launch-and-return flight, a record for this launch vehicle. This was also the 12th flight of the New Shepard-class of rockets. With these successes, it seems that Blue Origin is on track to move from unmanned flights to paid-passengers service in 2020.
Starships were Meant to Fly
Not to be outdone, Elon Musk’s SpaceX is also making strides this year. While 2019 appears to be a quiet year when compared to the company’s astronomical successes in 2018, much has been done. Under a cool Boca Chica Beach September night this year, the stainless steel Starship (formerly known as BFR) was revealed to the world. But, the first prototype of Starship, Mark 1, was subsequently destroyed during pressurization testing in November. While SpaceX expects failures as part of its iterative development process, this will set Starship’s subsequent timelines back. However, the company is already producing the next prototype, Mark 2, and the lessons learned from Mark 1 will be applied to a new design for Mark 3.
New HQ for Amazon’s Space Enterprise
New headquarters is all the rage at Amazon, and it’s no different for Amazon’s Outer Space enterprise, Project Kuiper. Earlier this month, Amazon announced that it will move the project’s research and development headquarters to a renovated facility in Redmond, Washington, which will also serve as Kuiper’s main manufacturing and qualification hub. With the transition expected to occur in 2020, the new HQ will have 219,000 square feet of useful space, spread over two buildings.
More Frequent Up, Up, and Away for Rocket Lab
Fresh off of opening its second launch site at Wallop, Rocket Lab now plans on building another launch pad at its first launch complex in New Zealand. The new launch site is expected to help Rocket Lab achieve its weekly launch cadence. The new launch pad will be known as LC-1B (Launch Complex-1B) and is scheduled to open by late 2020.
New Owners for Stratolaunch
After its founder’s death, Stratolaunch Systems Corporation went through a significant change in operational objectives earlier this year. While the Stratolaunch plane made its successful maiden voyage in April, the company is pivoting from Outer Space to the traditional aerospace industry. While Stratolaunch had been sold to new owners in October, nobody knew who it was … until now. In an exclusive exposé, GeekWire appears to have uncovered that the new owner is Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm. While private equity firms generally realign a business once it is acquired, it appears that Stratolaunch’s long-term CEO, Jean Floyd, has remained in place for now.
Vector Going Under
In a sad development, Vector Launch Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month. While Vector had been doing well, its fortunes turned in August when one of its major backers, Sequoia Capital, backed out of additional funding for the company, citing managerial concerns. The subsequent departure of its CEO, Jim Cantrell, also spooked investors and Vector never really recovered. Adding insult to injury, Vector is currently in talks with Lockheed Martin, a nemesis since a fragrance spoof, for the acquisition of Vector’s satellite technology as part of distressed financing that Vector is relying on for continued operations.
