In Today’s Deep Space Extra… NASA announces launch window for Artemis I. Ariane 5 rocket sets new payload mass record ahead of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.
Human Space Exploration
NASA targets February launch for Artemis 1 Moon mission
Coalition Members in the News – Jacobs, United Launch Alliance
Spaceflightnow.com (10/23): NASA will aim for a launch period that starts on February 12 and extends to February 27 for the Artemis I test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) and uncrewed Orion capsule to the Moon. The launch window was announced on Friday as stacking of the 322-foot-tall SLS rocket and Orion crew capsule in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch site was completed. More ground testing is planned. Backup launch opportunities for the test flight are March 12-27 and April 8-23.
Space Science
Arianespace breaks payload mass record on final Ariane 5 launch before Webb
Coalition Member in the News – RUAG Space
Spaceflightnow.com (10/24): The launch of an Arianespace Ariane 5 from French Guiana Saturday that placed two communications satellites in a geostationary transfer orbit also featured the second demonstration of an upgraded fairing separation system required to prepare for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The launch is planned for no earlier than December 18.
The early solar system had a gap where the asteroid belt is today
Universetoday.com (10/22): As they look out to distant stars, scientists are seeing evidence that the planetary gap in the solar system between Mars and Jupiter, home of the asteroid belt, may not be all that unique. Studies of meteorites whose origins are the outer solar system and the evidence they hold for changes in the sun’s magnetic field over time could help to explain the common forces that shape the architecture of planetary systems. Findings are published in the journal Science Advances.
Other News
L3 Harris wins $120 million contract to upgrade Space Force electronic jammers
Coalition Member in the News – L3 Harris
SpaceNews.com (10/22): Announced October 22, the contract is for upgrades to the Counter Communications System Block 10.2 that currently operates at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; and classified deployed locations overseas. L3 Harris will upgrade 16 units by 2025, according to the contract announcement. The Space Force Space Systems Command said this was a competitive award and two offers were received.
Space Adventures no longer planning Crew Dragon flight
SpaceNews.com (10/22): Space Adventures has cancelled plans to conduct a four-day mission to an altitude twice that of the International Space Station (ISS) with tourists aboard a Dragon capsule. Space Adventures says it dropped the plan when it was unable to find buyers for the seats. “The mix of price, timing, and experience wasn’t right at that particular time,” a spokesperson of Space Adventures told SpaceNews.com. The flight was planned for late 2021 and mid-2022.
China launches classified space debris mitigation technology satellite
Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman
SpaceNews.com (10/24): Without providing details of the payload or its capabilities, China late Saturday, U.S. time, launched a satellite reported to support a test of space debris mitigation technologies into geosynchronous orbit.
Major Space Related Activities for the Week
Major space related activities for the week of October 24-31, 2021
Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Lockheed Martin
Spacepolicyonline.com (10/24): NASA’s Commercial Crew Program’s Crew-3 mission is targeting Sunday at 2:21 a.m. ET for launch to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The weeklong International Astronautical Congress (IAC) starts today in Dubai. In Washington, Congress is still focused on infrastructure bills. The House version of the Build Back Better bill at one point included $4.4 billion for NASA but the status of that is unclear as the overall legislation is being scaled down from $3.5 trillion to about $2 trillion.