Category: Industry News

NASA has announced a $112 million contract with Firefly Aerospace to deliver multiple payloads to the far side of the Moon using their advanced robotic Blue Ghost lander.

The first of the two payloads, the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night (LuSEE-Night), aims to gain a deeper understanding of the moon’s radio environment and peer into the unobserved cosmic “dark ages.” LuSEE-Night will use its sophisticated instruments to collect data and conduct experiments, which will provide invaluable insights into the origins of the universe.

The second payload, the User Terminal (UT), will provide essential communication support for LuSEE-Night, allowing for seamless data transfer between the surface of the moon and Earth. This will enable real-time transmission of information, making it easier to study the lunar environment and enhance our understanding of the universe.

The launch itself will be an innovative two-stage operation, with the European Space Agency’s Lunar Pathfinder communications and navigation satellite being the first to be deployed. The satellite will be placed in an elliptical orbit around the moon, ensuring uninterrupted communication between Earth and the payloads on the surface.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost spacecraft will then be deployed, safely delivering the LuSEE-Night and UT payloads to the far side of the moon. The spacecraft’s advanced technology will enable it to offer NASA and other customers multiple deployment options, making it an ideal solution for ongoing lunar operations and planetary exploration.

This is not Firefly Aerospace’s first successful project in space exploration. In 2021, the company was selected to put ten payloads on the near side of the moon. The Blue Ghost mission for the near side is set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2024, further showcasing the company’s capabilities and expertise.

The Artemis program, of which the CLPS program is a part, is a major milestone in humanity’s exploration of the universe. The program aims to explore the lunar far side and understand some of the fundamental physics processes that occurred during the early evolution of the universe. This is a crucial step in our quest for knowledge and our understanding of the universe we inhabit.

The announcement of this contract for the CLPS program is a significant moment in the space industry. With the advanced technology and expertise of Firefly Aerospace, we can expect ground-breaking advancements and discoveries in space exploration in the coming years.

Starfish Space, a startup founded in 2019 by former Blue Origin and NASA engineers, has raised $14 million in a funding round led by Munich Re’s venture capital arm.

The company plans to use the funds to develop its all-electric servicing spacecraft, Otter, which is slightly bigger than a mini-fridge. With the new investment, Starfish has raised more than $21 million.

This summer, Starfish plans to test its technology by launching a microwave-sized demonstrator that will attempt to dock with another test spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), following an Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) from small rocket developer Launcher. The spacecraft will use electric propulsion and an electrostatic capture mechanism to rejoin the space tug.

Starfish sees increasing demand for life extension services in the Geostationary Orbit (GEO) market. Once docked, the Otter will extend the lifetime of a GEO satellite by helping to keep it in its orbital slot for several additional years. Northrop Grumman is also targeting this market with much larger spacecraft currently attached to two Intelsat satellites.

The startup’s planned LEO debris removal service would work in a similar way. Once docked, the Otter would pull the satellite down close enough to the Earth to quickly de-orbit from there. The Otter would then detach from the client satellite and boost itself back up to LEO to conduct further servicing missions.

“The Otter as a platform is being designed to perform both missions with limited modifications, although each Otter vehicle would focus on serving customers in either GEO or LEO,” said Starfish strategy and operations lead Ari Juster.

Starfish aims to expand its workforce by 10-15 employees before the end of this year, hiring experts across a range of software, hardware, and business development disciplines. Additionally, the startup plans to launch its first commercial Otter vehicles in the coming years to meet the growing demand from customers.

Munich Re Ventures, the venture capital arm of insurance giant Munich Re, invested in the funding round, as did Toyota Ventures and existing investors PSL Ventures, NFX, and MaC VC. Munich Re Ventures also invested in Orbit Fab, a company that raised €5.5m ($5.8m) last year and is developing space traffic management software to help satellite operators save fuel.

Stephanie Deml, head of aviation and space at Munich Re, said, “In-orbit servicing such as active debris removal and life extension of satellites will play a key role in enabling a sustainable infrastructure in space. We are keen to contribute to the success of these missions by developing bespoke risk transfer solutions.”

Startups that offer solutions for removing orbital debris have been a bright spot for early-stage space investments this year, despite challenging macroeconomic conditions. Astroscale, a Japanese startup that plans to offer in-orbit servicing, raised $76m in a Series G funding round in February, bringing its total raised to date for its in-orbit servicing plans to more than $376m. Swiss debris-removal startup ClearSpace also raised around $29m in a Series A round, bringing its total to about $140m.

Reminding young girls to ‘reach for the stars’.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a well-known British scientist and former president of the British Science Association, has been recognized with a unique Barbie doll. The plastic toy was created by Mattel, a leading toy manufacturer, to honour Dr Aderin-Pocock’s contributions to making science and space more accessible to young girls.

“As a child growing up I played with Barbies, and I still do now with my daughter. When I was little, Barbie didn’t look like me, so to have one created in my likeness is mind-boggling. It’s such an honour to receive this doll that is celebrating my achievements… My daughter and I danced around the living room when we heard!”, she said.

The one-of-a-kind doll comes complete with a telescope accessory, a nod to Dr Aderin-Pocock’s work on the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest space telescope ever made. The Barbie is dressed in a starry outfit that is fitting of her astronomical achievements.

 

As the newly appointed chancellor of the University of Leicester and the first black woman to win a gold medal at the Physics News Awards, Dr Aderin-Pocock has been an inspiration to many young women pursuing careers in science.

She was gifted the Barbie doll in honour of International Women’s Day and British Science Week.

Dr Aderin-Pocock added: “Since falling in love with the idea of space travel as a young girl, I have spent my career trying to show girls how fascinating space science can be”.

“I want to inspire the next generation of scientists, and especially girls, and let them know that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is for them. These subjects are just too important to be left to the guys because, through science, you can literally change the world,” she continued.

Barbie is also donating Dr Aderin-Pocock’s book Am I Made Of Stardust? to schools across the UK through partner charity Inspiring Girls.

Dr Aderin-Pocock hopes that her doll will encourage young girls to break down barriers and aim for the stars. “As a black woman, I’ve found that I don’t always fit some people’s perception of a scientist. We do often have these stereotypical images of what people do, and I like to smash those stereotypes whenever I get the opportunity,” she said.

 

Mattel will expand its Barbie Career range with a marine biologist doll this spring, joining STEM figures including a doctor, a vet, a scientist, and an astronaut.

Mattel UK’s Marketing Director, Kelly Philip said: “We know that, globally, STEM is a field widely recognised as under-representing women, so, as a brand, Barbie is committed to showing girls more Stem careers”. With these initiatives, Mattel hopes to help inspire and encourage young girls to pursue Stem careers.

 

Congratulations Maggie!

A meteor, measuring two feet wide and weighing nearly 1,000 pounds, made a dramatic impact on Wednesday evening in South Texas.

NASA confirmed the meteor broke apart as it fell through the Earth’s atmosphere, before finally settling near McAllen, Texas, at about 6 p.m. The meteorite’s explosive entry into the atmosphere was captured by a Geostationary Lightning Mapper. Numerous eyewitnesses also reported seeing the space rock blaze through the sky.

“Although meteorites tend to hit Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds, they slow as they travel through the atmosphere, breaking into small fragments before hitting the ground. Meteorites cool rapidly and generally are not a risk to the public,” explained NASA in a statement.

Videos recorded from home security cameras by Fox station KDFW in Dallas show the meteor dramatically breaking apart as it fell, causing birds to scatter and creating a resounding sonic boom. The National Weather Service in Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley confirmed the sighting of a possible meteor in the sky west of McAllen, but there was no thunderstorm activity in the region at the time of impact.

Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra also took to Twitter to announce that air traffic controllers in Houston had reported two aircraft sightings of the meteor near McAllen.

“The meteor seen in the skies above McAllen is a reminder of the need for NASA and other organizations to increase our understanding and protection of Earth, to combine scientific and engineering expertise to advance human space exploration, to integrate terrestrial and planetary research for furthering our understanding of the solar system, and to promote successful space missions by mitigating risk,” NASA commented.