In Today’s Deep Space Extra… JWST to reach its new home today. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on January 21 launched space-monitoring satellites for the U.S. Space Force.

 

Space Science

The James Webb Space Telescope glides to its deep-space parking spot today!
Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman
Space.com (1/24): Nearly a month after its successful December 25, 2021 launch, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is ready to maneuver into its new home about one million miles from Earth, the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2 on Monday, January 24 at 2 p.m., EST. Scientists and engineers operating the telescope will answer questions about the mission’s latest milestones in a NASA Science Live broadcast at 3:00 p.m. EST, followed by a media teleconference at 4:00 p.m.

ExoMars on schedule for September launch
SpaceNews.com (1/21): After missing a 2020 launch window, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) ExoMars mission is being prepared for launch between September 10 and October 1, 2022 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The mission was delayed from its planned 2020 launch by issues with the descent parachutes and the Covid pandemic. The mission’s rover’s descent module is also undergoing repairs to module electronics. The rover that the ExoMars mission will land is named for English scientist Rosalind Franklin.

 

Other News

ULA’s Atlas V launches satellite-inspection mission for Space Force
Coalition Members in the News – Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RUAG, United Launch Alliance
NASAspaceflight.com (1/21): United Launch Alliance (ULA) carried out an Atlas V launch Friday with the third pair of GSSAP satellites for the U.S. Space Force. Flying in its never-before-used 511 configuration, Atlas lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:00 p.m. EST (19:00 UTC) for a lengthy mission that injected the satellites into a near-geostationary orbit. The satellites were manufactured by Northrop Grumman.

Proposed NTSB commercial space regulation criticized by industry and FAA
SpaceNews.com (1/24): A proposal by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that would give the agency a greater role in investigating failures of commercial launches is facing opposition from both the industry and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The NTSB issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in November regarding commercial space investigations whose public comment period closed January 18. It resulted in responses that included feedback from launch companies and trade groups opposing elements of the proposal as well as the NTSB’s effort that, to them, appeared to take over the FAA’s existing role to oversee the industry.

Former NASA administrator Bridenstine endorses candidate in Virginia congressional race
SpaceNews.com (1/21): Former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said he is endorsing John Henley, a former U.S. Air Force legislative liaison who worked on the standup of the U.S. Space Force, because of his space and national security expertise. Henley announced January 20 he will be running for the House seat in Virginia’s 10th district currently occupied by two-term incumbent Jennifer Wexton (D). Bridenstine said the nation’s challenges in space are becoming more complex, so “Congress and the space community would benefit by having more members with national security and space policy experience.”

 

Major Space Related Activities for the Week

Major space related activities for the week of January 23-29, 2022
Spacepolicyonline.com (1/23): On Monday and Tuesday, the National Academies of Sciences will host a session on the structural collapse of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. On Thursday, NASA will honor the Day of Remembrance. Each year the agency holds a Day of Remembrance in late January-early February to honor all its fallen astronauts including the crews who perished on Apollo 1 (January 27, 1967), the Space Shuttle Challenger (January 28, 1986) and the Space Shuttle Columbia (February 1, 2003). This year it is on the Apollo 1 anniversary. A ceremony will be held at Kennedy Space Center’s Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in conjunction with the Astronaut Memorial Foundation (AMF) at 10:00 a.m. ET. It will be broadcast on KSCVC’s Facebook. This week also marks Israeli Space Week, which is in honor of Ilan Ramon. Ramon was among the seven astronauts that perished in the 2003 shuttle Columbia tragedy. NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) will hold its first 2022 quarterly public meeting that same day.