NewSpace News: Issue #126
November 2015
XPRIZE
October has been a busy month for the Google Lunar XPRIZE teams as time winds down to book launches. Israel-based SpaceIL has signed an agreement with SpaceX to launch their vehicle in 2017, making them the first team to have a confirmed and verified receipt for a 2017 launch. However, SpaceIL still has some competition as Moon Express is reported to have purchased their own launches. The American company has bought three launches on Rocket Lab's Electron Rocket System throughout 2017. In addition, Chilean competitor AngelicVM will join Japan's team HAKUTO and Astrobotic's current agreement to "ride share" to the moon on a SpaceX rocket.

Venture Class Launchers
Tiny satellites won't have to hitchhike their way to space for much longer. NASA has awarded a total of $17.1 million to three companies to launch  tiny  CubeSats, which have historically had to tag along as secondary payloads, be deployed directly from the ISS, or be launched in large group clusters. The space agency awarded  $6.9M to Los Angeles-based Rocket Lab USA ; $5.5 million to Firefly Space Systems of Cedar Park, Texas; and $4.7 million to Virgin Galactic LLC of Long Beach, California, in three separate, fixed-price "Venture Class Launch Services" (VCLS) contracts.

Investments
According to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, asteroid mining company, Planetary Resources (PR), has raised $12M in new financing from 16 undisclosed investors. PR plans to raise a total of $20 million in this round. Its rival, Deep Space Industries (DSI), has also announced that it received investment from Metatron Global. On the weather front, the commercial weather data analytics company Weather Analytics has invested in OmniEarth, a satellite imagery startup. Weather Analytics is targeting the insurance community, which is similar to the beginnings of Climate Corporation which started selling insurance to farmers based on data analytics (this business was recently sold to AmTrust). Finally, to trump them all, Dauria Aerospace has received $70 million from the Chinese investment fund Cybernaut, to develop 10 satellites to image daily the world's 100 largest cities.

Lynx, Trunnel
XCOR Aerospace continues to push forward with the Lynx, recently releasing a brief but image-laden report. The Lynx's chine and cowling panels have been fitted, and the primary nose structure is now attached to the cockpit. XCOR has also been ramping up their test facilities, constructing a drop test rig to simulate realistic flight loads on the landing gear and opting for a modern approach to aerodynamic verification. Rather than renting or building a wind tunnel directly, the company purchased and heavily modified a Ford F-250 to serve as a mobile test bed. The "Trunnel", (a portmanteau of truck and wind tunnel), is currently being tested to ensure that the streamlined body won't disturb the airflow around the test fixtures.

Virgin Developments
Virgin Galactic has successfully conducted a 90-second test of its LauncherOne engine. This test, which is about four and a half times longer than its previous test, can be seen [here]. Virgin Galactic has also announced that it will return to using its rubber-like fuel as it ramps up its SpaceShipTwo testing. This fuel, known as HTPB, will replace the nylon-like fuel that it has used since May 2014. These two spacecraft will hopefully get more space. The company is petitioning the Mojave Air and Space Port for 1.93 more acres for testing, reiterating that, -"[their] long standing investments in Mojave are not going anywhere soon."  

Commercial Crew
More good news from the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) comes out of Boeing this month, as they have completed their Starliner access tower. A total of seven tiers have been stacked to produce the tower. Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) is still working on its Dream Chaser Spacecraft as well. Despite not being selected for CCP, SNC is preparing to begin sub-orbital and orbital testing of their vehicle. Testing is expected to begin in early 2016 at the Armstrong Flight Research Center. 

Spaceports
Front Range Airport of Watkins, Colorado hopes to soon join the list of names that can legally launch and receive spacecraft. The Spaceport Colorado team is in the final steps of the FAA Spaceport Licensing submission process and could be open for horizontal launch operations as early as Q2 of 2016. Ever competitive, Houston's city council recently approved the $6.9 million purchase of a building adjacent to Ellington Airport / Houston Spaceport. The 53,000 square foot building is intended to serve as a shared manufacturing space for larger companies, as well as an incubator for startups and providing permanent office space where needed. Finally, nearly a year after an Orbital ATK Antares booster exploded, repairs have been completed on Launch Pad 0A at Wallops Island, Virginia. 

Space Internet
Facebook and Eutelsat have partnered to supply Internet to Sub-Saharan Africa. The two companies have signed a 5-year lease for the Ka-band broadband capacity from Spacecom's AMOS-6 satellite, which is scheduled to launch in 2016. In other space-based Internet news, MacDonald, Dettwiler, and Associates Ltd (MDA) have announced a collaboration with the OneWeb team to provide "world-class antenna and payload design and engineering expertise." OneWeb has recruited former GeoEye chief executive Matt O'Connell as its new CEO.

SpaceVR
Want to hang out on the ISS, but don't have time for the years of training to become an astronaut? You're in luck! SpaceVR recently reached it's kickstarting goal of $100,000 to send Overview One, their 360 degree virtual reality camera to the ISS in Q2 2016. Twice a year, the group plans to receive 16K footage from this camera, which can then be stitched into a number of virtual reality experiences that anyone on earth can immerse themselves in. As the group's Kickstarter page says, "...it's about giving you the chance to explore space and your role in it. This is bigger than a website, an app or being just another VR company - we are a movement."

Spaceflight Industries
As the pioneer in launching CubeSats into space, Spaceflight Industries has taken its next big step by purchasing an entire Falcon 9 launch from SpaceX to dedicate to a ride-share mission.  The ability to manage the entire rocket allows Spaceflight to control the launch schedule and provide access to more useful orbits for small satellites. Spaceflight's Falcon 9 mission, dubbed the 2017 Sun Synch Express, will deploy more than 20 satellites for commercial customers and government-sponsored scientific research originating from six different countries. Spaceflight is continuing its efforts to set up multiple ground stations to support its small satellite customers, and their latest and third ground station in Invercargill, New Zealand is now fully operational.  Spaceflight's initial two ground stations are based in Fairbanks, AK and Tukwila, WA.

Movements in Imagery
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is considering working with companies operating Earth imaging smallsats, including Planet Labs, Skybox, and Blackbox Global. A startup is using satellite imagery to help wineries - Vinsight, established earlier this year, combines satellite imagery with sensor and weather data to help wineries better estimate the size of their crop and thus more accurately plan for harvests. Vinsight says they have found an enthusiastic audience among corporate wineries, and the company is looking to expand to cover other crops. 

World View
World View Enterprises has tested a subscale version of its capsule which will take passengers to 100,000 ft. for $75,000. World View hopes to begin offering passenger flights to the edge of space in 2017 on capsules equipped with wifi and a bar. This subscale model was flown to a highest altitude of 100,475 ft. The test successfully demonstrated the foundational technologies required for future operational flights. When the company begins its passenger operations in 2017, the Voyager capsule will ascend for one and a half to two hours, then it will float for another two hours, offering breathtaking views, before beginning its descent.

The Martian
"The Martian", the new space adventure movie starring Matt Damon, has already raked in more than $180 million in the domestic box office. The movie has grossed more than $430 million worldwide. The film, which was based on Andy Weir's novel of the same name, has received widespread acclaim from critics and scientists alike. Andy Weir also received an award for "Best Presentation of Space" at the NewSpace 2015 Awards Gala.

Quick One-Liners
- ULA Launches 100th Mission [Link]
- Intelsat CFO Resigns [Link]
- Lockheed Eliminated From Cargo Resupply Comp[Link]
- Mark Loboda joins ACME [Link] [Link]
- Space Florida Board Approves Blue Origin Deals [Link]
- Startup Aiming for the Moon  [Link] [Link]
- Thales Alenia 3D printing Next Gen Satellites [Link]
- MadeInSpace and Lowes' 1st Commercial Printer [Link]
- CASIS Awards $500,000 in Research Grants [Link] [Link]
The Space Show
This month,  Doug Messier of Parabolic Arc and Dan Adamo of the Space Enterprise Institute  share their respective  NewSpace initiatives with Dr. David Livingston on The Space Show.  [Link]  

View from the Editor's Desk: New Worlds 2015
NewSpace News Editor, Jeff Smith, writes about his experience at the New Worlds Institute Conference last month. Check it out on NSN's Google+.
 
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Quick Links


Other Cool Things
ULA SMART vs Booster Flyback [Link]

USPTO Rejects ULA's Vulcan Trademark Application [Link]

Planetary Resources + Accenture Report and Infographic [Link] [Link]

Vegas Odds for First on Mars [Link]

Experimental Permit for DragonFly [Link]

InterStellar Tech [Link] [Video]

Delft Rocket [Link]

Leaf Space [Link]

Tiny 'ThumbSats' Aim to Bring Space to All [Link]


UPCOMING LAUNCHES

 Nov 10
 Ariane 5 - Badr 7, GSAT 15

Nov 24
H-2A - Telstar 12V

Nov TBD
Long March 3B - LaoSat 1
Soyuz 2-1v - Kanopus ST
Super Strypi - ORS 4

newspace Mentions in this issue

ACME
AngelicvM
Astrobotic
Boeing
Dauria Aerospace
Deep Space Industries
Eutelsat
Facebook
Firefly Space Systems
GeoEye
HAKUTO
Houston Spaceport
Intelsat
Lockheed Martin
MoonSpike
New Worlds Institute
OmniEarth
OneWeb
Orbital ATK
Planetary Resources
Rocket Lab
Sierra Nevada
Spacecom
Spaceflight Industries
SpaceIL
Spaceport Colorado
SpaceVR
SpaceX
Thales Alenia
ULA
Vinsight
Virgin Galactic
WorldView
XCOR Aerospace
Project Manager
Senior Editor
NSN Editor
NSN Editor
NSN Editor
NSN Editor