Little engine that could meet the little starship that might. Starliner is coming back to Earth overnight tonight. NASA and Boeing are preparing for the return of the Starliner spacecraft from the International Space Station right now. Yes, uncrewed, just in case you missed that huge story. But woe be tied, Boeing and NASA, if that landing tonight doesn't go as planned. So you could also argue that it would justify the caution around Butch and Sonny's return. Either way, fingers crossed. Today is September 7th, 2024. I'm Maria Varmausis, and this is T-Minus. Starliner set to return. Varta Space cinches their next re-entry license ahead of time. NASA and DARPA to collaborate on a servicing demo in Geo. And Elysia Siegel from NSF will be bringing us the Space Traffic Report, taking a look at the space launch news from the week that has been, and a look ahead at the week to come. Happy Friday! You made it through the week! These are the top stories for today. Yesterday the hatch on Boeing's, shall we say, troubled, Starliner was closed, and tonight Starliner undocks from the ISS at 6.04 pm Eastern Time. Lots of eyes are on Starliner, given all of the drama around this mission, so as you would hope, safety is a top priority, with plenty of checks on weather and operational conditions before undocking. The uncrewed Starliner is expected to make its autonomous landing at White Sands in New Mexico about six hours later, at around midnight EST tonight. And a reminder that Boeing's Starliner is designed to be reused. After tonight's landing, the expectation is that NASA and Boeing teams will inspect, refurbish, and prepare these parts for future flights. And I am sure there will be a lot of examinations into what exactly was going on with the thruster issues that necessitated Butch and Sonny's extra-long stay on the ISS. VARTA Space Industries has announced that it received a very important re-entry license, key approval from the FAA, for its upcoming second space mission. Understandably, VARTA is not keen to repeat the experiences of their first mission, Winnebago 1, which was unable to return to Earth as planned, as the FAA originally denied their re-entry license, and poor Winnie spent many months on orbit, quite literally looking for a place to land. This milestone enables VARTA to move forward with their in-space manufacturing and return operations, bringing materials back to Earth. VARTA's innovative mission seeks to produce materials in the unique environment of space that cannot be manufactured on Earth, which could revolutionize industries like pharmaceuticals and advanced materials. NASA and DARPA have signed an interagency agreement to collaborate on a satellite servicing demonstration in geosynchronous Earth orbit. Under this agreement, NASA will provide subject matter expertise to DARPA's robotic servicing of geosynchronous satellites program to help complete the technology development, integration, testing, and demonstration. The program servicing spacecraft aims to advance in-orbit satellite inspection, repair, and upgrade capabilities. NASA will use expertise from the agencies on orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing one project and other relevant efforts to provide hands-on support to the DARPA-led program in the areas of space robotics, systems engineering, spacecraft subsystems, integration and testing, operator training, and spaceflight operations. SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket for the National Reconnaissance Office, or NRO, on September 6 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission, NRL-113, carried star-shield satellites, part of the NRO's proliferated architecture. The Falcon 9 booster, making its 20th flight, is expected to land on the drone ship, of course I still love you, marking its 100th successful landing. The mission is part of NRO's rapid deployment efforts, with six similar launches planned for 2024. The mission's star-shield satellites typically involve advanced surveillance or communications technologies to support intelligence and defense operations. Belgium-based Aerospace Lab has opened a new satellite manufacturing facility in Torrance, California. The facility is set to increase the production of satellite technology and positions the company to meet the growing demands of the global aerospace market. Their 35,000-square-foot facility has advanced high-bay and cleanroom environments, equipped with the latest technology and sustainable practices. The company also says that it's capable of producing, on average, two satellites a week on a single-shift schedule. Aerospace Lab will begin assembly, integration, and testing of its satellite system solution for Zona space systems in the facility in the fourth quarter. NOAA awarded two contracts under the Radio Occultation Data Buy 2 program on September 4, one to Planet IQ and the other to Spire Global. These contracts are worth over $10 million and will supply NOAA with 3,000 daily GNSSRO data profiles for weather forecasting over a year. The data will enhance weather prediction models, benefiting NOAA, the United States Air Force, and the Navy. CIS Lunar Industries will provide advanced power processing units, or PPUs, for Atomos Space's next-generation orbital transfer vehicle called Quark. Quark performs rendezvous, docking, capture, and relocation of satellites in various Earth and beyond Earth orbits. Atomos Space uses high-power electric propulsion for Quark, and PPUs are a critical element of the propulsion system. According to the press release from the company, CIS Lunar Industries' PPU will allow their supported propulsion system to run at a higher power, higher efficiency, and higher reliability, while taking up less volume and mass on the spacecraft to enable Quark's best-in-class performance. NASA awarded Jacobs Technology a $973.7 million contract to support operations at Langley Research Center in Virginia. The contract includes engineering, research, and maintenance services, with a phase-in period starting October 1 of this year. It includes a 15-month base period, plus five operational periods that could extend until 2035. Jacobs will assist in research and operations across the center, focusing on Earth and space sciences initiatives. And that's it for today's briefing. As always, you can find further reading in our show notes or at space.ntuk.com. AT-Crew, tune in tomorrow for T-Minus Deep Space, our show for extended interviews, special editions, and deep dives with some of the most influential professionals in the space industry. And tomorrow we have more from Mark Wagner talking about space education and the programs he's offering to support better access in U.S. classrooms. Check it out while you're heading to the Las Cruces Space Festival this weekend and say hi to Alice while you're there. You don't want to miss it. It is Friday, so that means it's time for the Space Traffic Report, brought to you by our partners at nasaspaceflight.com. Elysia Siegel brings us a look at space launch updates from the week that has been and a look ahead at the week to come. I'm Elysia Siegel for NSF, and this is your weekly Space Traffic Report for T-Minus Space. Starting off the week, the Falcon fleet returned to flight only three days after the failed landing of booster B-1062. With the FAA's approval, Falcon 9 launched a Starlink mission on August 31 at 7.43 universal time. The launch was conducted from Florida and took 13 direct-to-cell satellites and eight Starlink V-2 mini-satellites into low-Earth orbit. This was the 18th flight for booster B-1069, which started a new streak of successful landings by touching down on droneship just read the instructions. Just over an hour later, another Starlink launch took place from California. This time, Falcon 9 lifted 13 direct-to-cell satellites and eight Starlink V-2 mini-satellites to low-Earth orbit for Starlink Group 9. The booster for this launch was B-1081, which flew for the 9th time. It landed successfully in the deck of SpaceX's drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You. This was the 21st and last launch of August, bringing the total number of launches from the US this year to a nice round 100 and the total worldwide to 158. SpaceX ended in its regular spot on top, with 12 launches this month, and as usual, China ended in second place. If launches continue at this pace, we're on track for 230 launches worldwide by the end of the year. Going into September, we had the launch of a Cheong-Jung 4B. Launch off took place on September 3 at 122 UTC from Launch Complex 3 at the Cheong-Jung Satellite Launch Center in China. On board were six classified military remote-sensing satellites from various manufacturers. This is the second batch of YaoGon 43 satellites, the first of which was launched last month. The satellites on both missions are said to test new technology for low-Earth orbit constellations. On September 4 at 2148 UTC, the European Space Agency's Beppi-Colombo spacecraft flew by Mercury with its closest approach of 165 kilometers above the planet's surface. This flyby was one of several needed to get the spacecraft on the right trajectory so it can eventually insert itself into orbit around the planet. Once there, it'll drop off two satellites to study Mercury, one for the European Space Agency and the other for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. However, the route to Mercury has not been without issues. Earlier this year, the mission was put in jeopardy when the spacecraft experienced problems with the electric thrusters needed to perform the orbital insertion. The team at ESA investigated the issue and concluded that the thruster wouldn't be able to deliver the power needed to perform this maneuver. Fortunately, that didn't spell the end of the mission, as the team has now devised a new trajectory that requires lower thrust. It does come at a cost though, as Beppi-Colombo's arrival at Mercury is now delayed by 11 months to November of 2026. But then, the satellites can finally start their science missions. With this flyby, we got a teaser for what the mission might deliver. The spacecraft's monitoring cameras took some pictures of Mercury's surface and its numerous craters too. While these are already spectacular images, the mission promises to deliver even better images when its main science camera is activated. On September 5th, the original version of Europe's Vega rocket took off for one last time from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. On board was an Earth observation satellite called Sentinel-2C, which was launched into Sun's synchronous orbit. This satellite will serve as a replacement for Sentinel-2A, which has been providing high-resolution images from orbit since 2015. The launch was a tense moment, as Vega doesn't have the cleanest track record with a few failures in recent years. And the rocket for this flight had, let's say, an interesting problem during its development. Last year, it was reported that two propellant tanks for the rocket's Avom kickstage were accidentally scrapped. But fortunately, Vega's 22nd and last flight launched without problems and Sentinel-2C was safely delivered to orbit. This isn't the end for the Vega rocket family, though. Vega's successor, Vega C, has flown twice, with a failure on its second flight, but with more flights scheduled for later this year, the rocket has a chance to improve its reputation. We certainly hope it does. Later that day, another Starlink launch took place. Falcon 9 lifted off from Florida on September 5th at 1533 Universal Time. This launch delivered another batch of 13 direct-to-cell satellites and eight Starlink V2 mini-satellites into low-Earth orbit. V1077, the booster for this mission, became the 11th booster to complete its 15th flight and successfully landed on droneship just read the instructions. With the three Starlink launches this week, SpaceX has launched a total of 7,001 satellites, of which 604 have re-entered and 5,770 have moved into their operational orbit. That same day, yet another rocket was launched. This time, a Changjiang 6 took off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China. On board were 10 communications satellites for car manufacturer Geely, developed for testing autonomous driving and inter-vehicle communication services. We also had the launch of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office's NRL-113 mission. On September 6th, a Falcon 9 launched the third batch of satellites for the NRO's proliferated space architecture, also known as Star Shield, into low-Earth orbit. This was the 20th flight for booster B1063, and it also happened to be the 300th flight with a flight-proven booster. The booster ended its flight by successfully landing on the deck of SpaceX's droneship of Course I Still Love You. Going into next week, Starliner Calypso will finally return to Earth without its crew. Undocking from the ISS is currently scheduled for September 6th at 2204 UTC. After this, the capsule will perform a few more thruster tests and de-orbit, and a few hours later, on September 7th at 403 UTC, Starliner is expected to land at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. After many delays, the Polaris Dawn mission is currently scheduled to launch on September 9th. The delays were first caused by technical problems and later by weather-related issues as the launch can only proceed when good weather is expected for the mission's return date. If these predictions are favorable on Monday, Falcon 9 is set to lift off from historic launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center with the 4.5-hour launch window opening at 7.38 UTC. The crew of four will spend five days onboard Crew Dragon Resilience performing various tests and experiments. A Japanese H2A is scheduled to fly on September 11th. The payload for this mission is a radar reconnaissance satellite. Lift-off is expected from the Tanagashima Space Center during a two-hour window starting at 4 o'clock UTC. After that day, the Soyuz MS-26 mission is set to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. On board are cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin and Yvonne Wagner and NASA astronaut Donald Pettit. The trio will lift off on September 11th at 1623 UTC and are expected to arrive at the International Space Station a few hours later. And wrapping up the week, we'll have a Falcon 9 launch on September 12th. This will be the first launch of AST Space Mobile's Bluebird constellation of cell phone-compatible broadband satellites. This launch will be conducted from Florida and features a return to launch site landing. Lift-off is currently scheduled for 8.52 UTC. I'm Alicia Segal for NSF and that's your weekly Space Traffic Report. Now back to T-Minus Space. . We'll be right back. Welcome back. Many, many years ago, probably while I was watching Star Trek, I learned that solar sales were a thing. Instead of your traditional nautical sail that harnesses the power of wind that could push a craft along, a solar sail propels a craft with the power of photons emitted by our sun. As these tiny, tiny, tiny photons bounce off the sail, even though they do not have mass, they can still influence an object enough to generate movement. And in theory, with the constant photon pressure from the sun over time, perhaps a very, very long time, but still, you can pick up some great speeds. No messy propellants or finicky thrusters needed. But yes, you do need a big sail for this, and the boom arm that extends the sail out right now has been rather limited by what we can manufacture that's both lightweight, stiff, and strong. But NanoAvionics has been working with NASA to test out their new composite boom arms on a 12-U CubeSat solar sail that launched just a few months ago. The advanced composite solar sail system are ACS-3. And as of late August, ACS-3's boom arms have been fully extended and the sails are hoisted. It's all fully deployed. We got our first views of the sail and its booms all on furl just this Wednesday, thanks to the onboard cameras. And now those of us on the ground also have a chance to keep an eye on this gorgeous solar sail. Fully deployed, the sails are about 80 square meters, or in freedom units, 860 square feet/6 parking lots. Though it is in a higher orbit than the International Space Station, it is highly reflective. So yes, it's actually visible to the naked eye if you catch it at the right time, as it's moving quite fast and it is also quite bright. All you need is the official NASA app and just tap on the featured section of the app, and you'll see the ACS-3 front and center. Poke around for a minute and you'll see that by providing your location information, the app will let you know your sighting opportunities as the solar sail whizzes past. From sci-fi to sci-fact, I absolutely love it. That's it for T-minus for September 7th, 2024, brought to you by N2K Cyberwire. For additional resources from today's report, check out our show notes at space.n2k.com. We'd love to know what you think of this podcast. Your feedback ensures we deliver the insights that keep you a step ahead in the rapidly changing space industry. If you like the show, please share a rating and review on your podcast app. Please also fill out the survey in the show notes or send an email to space@n2k.com. We're privileged that N2K Cyberwire is part of the daily routine of the most influential leaders and operators in the public and private sector. From the Fortune 500 to many of the world's preeminent intelligence and law enforcement agencies, N2K makes it easy for companies to optimize your biggest investment, your people. We make you smarter about your teams while making your teams smarter. Learn how at N2K.com. This episode was produced by Alice Carouse, our associate producer is Liz Stokes. We are mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester, with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Iban. Our executive editor is Brandon Karp. Simone Petrella is our president. Peter Kilpie is our publisher. And I am your host, Maria Varmazes. I will be out next week, but you are in the wonderful hands of Alice Carruth, who will be on the mic for me. Have a great week and a great week and everybody. Thanks for listening.
