In Today’s Deep Space Extra… The National Academies on Thursday released its astrophysics and astronomy decadal survey report. VP Harris to convene first National Space Council meeting.

 

Human Space Exploration

Umbilical hardware arrives for SLS ML-2, runs out of funding
NASAspaceflight.com (11/4): Components for a second Mobile Launch Platform (MLP-2) have arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to support the launch of the upgraded Block 1B version of the Space Launch System (SLS). The Block 1B version of the SLS will support the Artemis IV mission. While some work can continue, near-term funding needed for complete assembly of the MLP-2 has run out. Issues were cited early in the process via a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which noted: “COVID-19 created inefficiencies and disrupted collaboration, experiencing delays receiving data from the SLS program that the project needs to inform the design of ML-2…” In a statement, NASA told NASASpaceflight.com that “The ML-2 contractor has paused some procurements in order to align with the near term (FY21/22) funding profile. Tower and Umbilical work is slated to start in FY22 and ’23. All the planned work will still take place, but the schedule is currently being reworked to ensure it will be completed within the allotted budget.”

Blue Origin loses court case
Spacepolicyonline.com (11/4): The U.S. Court of Federal Claims on Thursday ruled against an appeal by Blue Origin over NASA’s award in April of a single “Option A” contract to SpaceX for the development of a lunar Human Landing System (HLS). It was the latest of two appeals that have not gone in Blue Origin’s favor, the first being to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. In light of the ruling, NASA announced plans to resume the HLS development that was suspended during the appeal process “as soon as possible.”

NASA rules out weekend Crew Dragon launch, may bring Station crew home first
Spaceflightnow.com (11/4): NASA again delayed to at least Monday the launch of four astronauts on the Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) due to bad weather.  Given an uncertain forecast, mission teams are assessing whether another group of astronauts who are living aboard the orbital science lab since late April should return to Earth aboard the Crew-2 spacecraft first.

 

Space Science

Astrophysics decadal survey recommends a program of flagship space telescopes
SpaceNews.com (11/4): The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on Thursday released its astrophysics decadal survey, a collection of research and mission pursuits recommended for NASA to lead over the next decade. Among the recommendations is development of a large, $11 billion space telescope equipped for observations in ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths suited for the characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets in addition to other scientific pursuits. The telescope would not fly until the early 2040s. The report also recommended the development of advanced X-ray and infrared space telescopes. In order to best address cost and risk, the National Academies proposed that NASA establish a Great Observatories Mission and Technology Maturation Program that would oversee initial studies of large “flagship” astrophysics missions as well as invest in the technologies needed to enable them.

China is planning a complex Mars sample return mission
SpaceNews.com (11/4): Using the experience gained from its recent lunar sample return and Mars rover missions, China is plotting a mission to return Martian rocket samples to Earth that could launch as soon as 2028 and return the materials two years later. The complex mission would rely on the launch of orbiter, ascent, and return space hardware using Long March 3B and Long March 5 launch vehicles. Like NASA’s Mars Perseverance mission and a joint NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) mission to gather and return samples of Mars at Jezero Crater, China’s goal would be to seek evidence of past or current biological activity on the Red Planet.

China launches Earth science satellite
Xinhuanet of China (11/5):  On Friday, China launched Guangmu, an Earth science satellite atop a Long March 6 rocket. The satellite was developed to provide data to monitor, evaluate and study interactions between humans and nature and impacts on sustainable development. (Editor’s note: Xinhuanet is a Chinese government-owned news source).

 

Other News

Harris to convene first National Space Council meeting December 1
SpaceNews.com (11/5): NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is to be joined by Vice President Kamala Harris at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland today for an update on the Landsat 9 mission, which was launched on September 27, and other Earth Science activities related to climate change. During the visit, Harris is expected to announce December 1 as the date for the first meeting of the National Space Council since President Biden took office in January. Harris will chair the council. In other Space Council announcements, its executive secretary Chirag Parikh this week announced that the council has hired a new director of commercial space policy, Diane Howard, a space law expert who previously worked at the Office of Space Commerce.