Signals & Space Monthly Briefing

November 2020

Prepared by the CyberWire (Monday, November 2, 2020) At a glance. Commercial spaceflight: tugs, launch operations, and new astronauts. Space Development Agency awards contracts for Tranche 0 Tracking Layer. Satellite constellations, and a tighter coupling to the Internet. Space situational awareness: collisions, near-misses, debris fields, and LEO archaeology. The pandemic and the space industrial base. Space Force updates: training, field organizations, and culture. Space Force updates: acquisition. Eight nations sign on to the US-sponsored Artemis accords. Mars for the Martians. Commercial spaceflight: tugs, launch operations, and new astronauts. On October 14th, Virgin Galactic announced plans for its first spaceflight from its Spaceport America in New Mexico. There were no specific dates given, which, ZDNet reports, has left investors cold—TechCrunch says, however, that the mission is planned for some time "later this fall." Two test pilots will fly SpaceShipTwo in its inaugural crewed trip to space. Virgin Galactic hopes to begin carrying paying passengers sometime next year. After some delays, NASA has announced that SpaceX is preparing to carry four astronauts (three from NASA, one from Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency) to the International Space Station aboard its Crew Dragon capsule. Launch is scheduled for November 14th. Space.com sees a shift in astronaut preparation of qualification. The first generation of astronauts were military test pilots, who were joined in the second generation by scientist astronauts. An emerging generation will be marked by their aptitude for the "expeditionary behavior" needed on long-duration missions. The International Space Station itself passed its twentieth year of continuous human occupation this month, and NASA among others is thinking about what might take the ISS's place. WIRED writes that, while it's unclear what the successor systems and facilities will be,they're likely to see more participation by commercial operators. Rocket Lab is preparing to use the Wallops Flight Facility for launches beginning this year. The Washington Post reports that Rocket Lab believes it may reach a tempo of one launch from Wallops Island per month. Defense News says that German industry is pushing for the development and deployment of a small mobile launch platform in the North Sea. California-based Momentus, which intends to offer in-orbit infrastructure and servicing, announced plans to take itself public through a merger with Stable Road Acquisition Corporation. The company’s Vigoride transfer vehicle is designed to move payloads from initial deployment to their desired orbit, Space News reports. (The Silicon Valley Business Journal calls Vigoride a “space tug.”) Space Development Agency awards contracts for Tranche 0 Tracking Layer. L3 and SpaceX received contracts worth, respectively, $193 million and $149 million to build four satellites each for the National Defense Space Architecture’s inaugural Tranche 0 Tracking Layer. Space Policy Online says the eight space vehicles will carry Wide Field of View (WFOV) Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) sensors designed to track ballistic missiles and to interface with the National Defense Space Architecture's Transport Layer, to be built by Lockheed Martin and York Space Systems. Satellite constellations, and a tighter coupling to the Internet. A SpaceX Falcon 9 put sixty new Starlink satellites into orbit on October 18th, Space.com reports. This launch puts Starlink over the 800-satellite threshold it has said it regarded as the minimum required to begin Internet service. The Federal Communications Commission has given SpaceX permission to operate as many as 12,000 of the satellites, but the company has come to believe it may want eventually to fly some 30,000 of the spacecraft. The technical and immediate commercial goal of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation technical goal is delivery of Internet connectivity. CNBC says that service is expected to be offered at $99 a month, with an initial Starlink kit coming at an additional one-time charge of 499. But Starlink’s strategic goal, at least according to Space.com, is generation of revenue to fund SpaceX’s plans for off-world expansion, beginning with the company’s much-discussed Mars flights. SpaceX founder Elon Musk told the Mars Society's 2020 convention on October 16th that the company could run its first uncrewed mission to Mars as soon as four years from now. Microsoft has entered the space Internet market with Azure Space, a cloud-based service it will deliver in partnership with SpaceX. ZDNet says that Redmond sees the venture as going head-to-head with Amazon’s Project Kuiper, a Starlink competitor. Satellite surrogates are also emerging as alternative ways of providing communications and connectivity in remote regions. Alphabet, Google’s parent, reached another milestone in its Loon program. Engadget reports that one of Project Loon’s stratospheric balloons remained aloft for 312 days during which time it completed a circumnavigation. Space situational awareness: collisions, near-misses, debris fields, and LEO archaeology. Recent concerns about space situational awareness and the risk debris poses to operations in low-earth orbit received particular salience on October 15th when CZ-4C R/B, a Chinese upper-stage Long March rocket body missed colliding with Cosmos 2004, a decommissioned late Soviet-era Russian satellite belonging to the Parus constellation. According to Space.com, LeoLabs tracked what it characterized as a very near miss (11 meters, the company tweeted). Had they hit one another, their combined mass of 6,170 pounds (2,800 kilograms) would have produced a large and hazardous debris field. Both of the long defunct objects have been in orbit for awhile: Cosmos 2004 since 1988 and the Long March stage since 2009.  So, for now, a near miss and a “bullet dodged,” as the lede writers have it, but of course there’s plenty more junk where those two came from. Another example may have come to notice in October as well. Space.com also passes on a report from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which now suspects that an object it had been watching as the small asteroid 2020 SO is in fact the upper stage of a Centaur launch vehicle used to deliver Surveyor 2 to the moon in 1966.  US Space Policy Directive 3, National Space Traffic Management Policy, in 2018 made the Department of Commerce the lead agency in managing space situational awareness. The challenges of identifying, recognizing, and tracking objects launched in a Space Age that’s still less than seventy years old suggests that Commerce might need archaeological talent far earlier than one might have expected. There's a commercial subsector of space situational awareness companies that continues to draw investors' attention. C4ISRNet reports that one company working in the field, Analytical Graphics Inc., is being acquired by engineering simulation software shop Anys at the price of $700 million (67% of it in cash, the remainder in Ansys common stock). The pandemic and the space industrial base. Some of the big integrators, including Boeing and Raytheon, have been hit hard by the pandemic-driven decline in commercial air travel. They’re planning layoffs to those portions of their workforce exposed to the down market. Airbus has also struggled during the pandemic, but believes it’s seeing signs of a turnaround. The European aerospace giant has also recently taken a stake in German rocket start-up Isar. Breaking Defense reports that Space Force’s recently confirmed Vice Chief of Space Operations, General David Thompson, expressed concerns during a webinar over how “innovative startups” were weathering COVID-19. He was unsure how many space startups will survive, and mused that the Department of Defense might be able to help them do so if it improved its communication with small businesses. In contrast to this, symposiasts at the Satellite Innovation conference were optimistic. Space News reports that panelists generally believed that space startups had proven more resilient in the face of the pandemic than many had feared. Space Force updates: training, field organizations, and culture. While its rank structure remains in the wind, undecided between a Navy or an Air Force model, Military Times reports, or perhaps some hybrid, Space Force has continued to mature as a Service. On October 20th, the Air Force Times writes, Space Force inducted its first four recruits at Military Entrance Processing Station Baltimore. Three more were sworn in later that day in Denver. The first seven recruits will receive their basic training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. Their initial military training will follow the Air Force model. Space Force is also establishing its first noncommissioned officer academy, repurposing the existing academy at Peterson Air Force Base into its own professional development organization, Military.com reports. An op-ed in Space News argues that Space Force has an opportunity to take a fresh look at its requirements for service. Some of those currently in use by other Services may be too demanding, requiring recruits to meet physical standards Space Force might find irrelevant. Others, particularly technical qualifications, may be too loose. The Service also has an opportunity to rethink career paths, making it easier to move between civilian military careers (and vice versa), to introduce more stability into assignments (arguably better for family life), and to move away from the up-or-out pattern that has for years marked careers in other Services. In addition to training organizations, the Service also formally established the first of its operational commands on October 21st, when it stood up Space Operations Command at Peterson Air Force Base. According to Defense News this is the first of three planned field commands. The other two will be Space Training and Readiness Command, and Space Systems Command. To return to culture, War on the Rocks argues that the new Service could draw valuable lessons from the history of the US Army Air Corps Tactical School,, established in 1920 at Langley Field, Virginia. Some of those lessons are positive, like the school's retention of connection to and interest in Army missions and tactics as a whole (the better to support them), but others, like the "bombardment culture" that was heavily influenced by an urge toward service independence, are cautionary tales, not for emulation. C4ISRNet reports that General David "DT" Thompson became the first Vice Chief of Space Operations on October 2nd. General Thompson said his two priorities would be, "Building the service headquarters at the Pentagon and crystalizing and defining this new thing called the Space Warfighting Integration Center are what I’ll be focusing on over the next 90 days.” Since his appointment, General Thompson has tested positive for COVID-19, and has, according to Air Force Times, entered a quarantine. We wish him and his family a full and speedy recovery. Space Force updates: acquisition. Space Force continues to work through the inevitable, enduring challenges of acquisition. C4ISRNet reports that the new, umbrella acquisition organization, Space Systems Command, is still about a year away. Breaking Defense calls the current system a "quagmire," and notes that the Government Accountability Office found some sixty-five Defense organizations with their hands in acquisition of space systems. Defense acquisition has long been criticized as slow, often lagging civilian technological advance, too requirements-bound to be responsive to the changing needs of operational commands, and without good ways of moving the results of science and technology across the well-known "valley of death" between 6.3 (advanced technology development) and higher budget categories 6.4 (Advanced Component Development and Prototypes), 6.5 (System Development and Demonstration), 6.6 (RDT&E Management and Support), and 6.7 (Operational Systems Development). Space Force will no doubt seek to take advantage of such methods as the other Services have evolved to overcome some of these enduring problems. Among those are various forms of rapid prototyping, but one approach Space Force may take up is the Air Force concept of "digital engineering," which, SIGNAL explains, is seen as using new modeling and simulation tools to accelerate design and development. Eight nations sign on to the US-sponsored Artemis accords. Space.com writes that Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and the United States have agreed to NASA's Artemis Accords, an international agreement designed to establish transparent norms for lunar exploration and other activities. Characterized as "Principles For Cooperation in the Civil Exploration and Use of the Moon, Mars, Comets, and Asteroids for Peaceful Purposes," the Accords provide guidelines for scientific exploration, use of resources, and preservation of humanity's space heritage. An academic paper, however, dissents. An article in Science sees the accords as essentially a national initiative in which the US would become "the de facto gatekeeper to the Moon, asteroids, and other celestial bodies." NASA's request for proposals in which companies would "extract small amounts of regolith from the surface of the Moon." This effectively would, the authors argue, make the US Government the licensing authority for extraction of space resources. Mars for the Martians. Or, more accurately, Mars for Team Musk, since it seems a safe bet there are no actual Martians, at least not ones with strong opinions about legislation. According to the Independent the Starlink app's terms of service say that, for operations on earth and the moon, services are governed by the laws of California. On Mars, however, all bets are off. “For services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other colonisation spacecraft, the parties recognise Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities. Accordingly, disputes will be settled through self-governing principles, established in good faith, at the time of Martian settlement.” The Independent reads this as an assertion that neither domestic nor international law will apply on Mars. Just Martian law. Sometimes the terms of service will surprise you. [2199]   Today's edition of the CyberWire reports events affecting Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, NATO/OTAN, New Zealand, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Selected Reading Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities (2) Marketplace (33) Products, Services, and Solutions (10) Technologies, Techniques, and Standards (21) Design and Innovation (17) Research and Development (13) Academia (1) Legislation, Policy, and Regulation (35) Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement (1) Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities Phew! 2 big hunks of space junk zoom safely past each other in near-miss (Space.com) The chance of a collision was higher than 10%, according to LeoLabs. The strange story of 2020 SO: How an asteroid turned into rocket junk and the NASA scientist who figured it out (Space.com) Asteroid trackers spotted an object soon dubbed 2020 SO, but it soon became clear that this wasn't a typical space rock. Marketplace Virgin Galactic announces preparations for its first spaceflight, investors unconvinced (ZDNet) A lack of specific dates for lift-off knocked share prices. KBR Completes $800M Acquisition of Centauri; Stuart Bradie Quoted (ExecutiveBiz) KBR has completed its acquisition of Centauri from Arlington Capital Partners, KBR reported on Monda Space situational awareness company to be bought for $700 million (C4ISRNET) Ansys plans to complete its purchase of the Pennsylvania-based Analytical Graphics Inc. by the end of the year. Parsons To Acquire Braxton Group, Expanding Capabilities In Space (Defense Daily) Parsons Corp. on Thursday said it has agreed to acquire Braxton Science & Technology Group (BSTG) for $300 million in a deal that expands its capabilit Boeing takes another big loss, plans more job cuts by end of 2021 (Puget Sound Business Journal) Boeing's CEO said 7,000 more jobs will be eliminated between now and the end of 2021 through attrition, buyouts and layoffs as the Chicago-based jet maker further "resizes" operations." Airbus to stop burning cash, defends higher output plan (Reuters) Airbus said on Thursday it expected to stop burning cash in the fourth quarter, giving investors the first glimpse of a path out of the coronavirus crisis after speeding up deliveries to cash-strapped airlines. Airbus Backs a New Space Startup (Nasdaq) The ranks of companies lining up to launch rockets into space -- and challenge incumbent rocket launchers United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, and SpaceX -- just keep growing and growing. Raytheon laying off 20,000 amid commercial aviation slide (Defense News) Raytheon Technologies is cutting 15,000 staff and 4,000 contractor positions, largely at the company’s Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace divisions. Chinese rocket companies secure local government support for research, production facilities (SpaceNews) Two young Chinese rocket companies have secured deals with local governments for the establishment of major launch vehicle facilities.  What Comes After the International Space Station? (Wired) Funding for the world's premiere orbital laboratory won't last forever. Its end could usher in a new era of commercial space stations. Microsoft Boosts Space Services, Partnerships (Breaking Defense) SpaceX CEO Gwynne Shotwell said SpaceX would, "where it makes sense," help Microsoft Azure Space sell its data services to current and future customers. Microsoft launches Azure Space initiative; partners with SpaceX (ZDNet) Microsoft is using its 'Amazon is your competitor' playbook to try to win over more satellite partners and customers. It's also launching a new Azure in a shipping container offering called Azure Modular Datacenter. Astronaut requirements changing rapidly with private spaceflyers, long-duration missions (Space.com) Being an astronaut of the 2020s will be completely different than it was for any astronaut that came before, a panel of spaceflyers told the virtual International Astronautical Congress Wednesday (Oct. 14). Elon Musk says SpaceX's 1st Starship trip to Mars could fly in 4 years (Space.com) Can a Starship reach Mars by 2024? The Elysium effect: The coming backlash to the billionaire 'NewSpace' revolution (Space.com) As entrepreneurs spend billions on space, there is a backlash building that holds their projects as icons of extravagance, even as they may help save the Earth. This is the 'Elysium effect.' Are software-defined ground stations the next big leap? Kratos is betting on it. (C4ISRNET) Kratos' new OpenSource platform takes lessons learned from software-defined payloads and applies them to the ground system. DIA posts MASINT funding opportunity (Intelligence Community News) DIA seeks white papers for the Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT) Research and Development Initiative. Army plans on saving $10 billion more from Night Court, but things are getting tougher (Federal News Network) The Army is expecting to save another $10 billion through its Night Court process in 2022 by divesting from legacy systems and reinvesting that money in higher priority weapons. SAIC Inks $878M Task Order for Multi-domain Command and Control Capability (WashingtonExec) Science Applications International Corp. has been awarded an $878 million task order by General Services Administration to provide professional services SAIC Wins $49.5M U.S. Navy Contract for Saudi C4ISR Upgrades, Refurbishment (Seapower) MCLEAN, Va. — The U.S. Navy awarded Science Applications International Corp. a $49.5 million single-award task order to continue to provide the Royal Saudi Naval Forces support services for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) upgrade... Report: A Robust Tech Sector Is Critical To U.S. National Security (Forbes) Technology is the key variable determining whether America remains the world's leading military power. Space Force Fears COVID Loss Of Commercial Startups: Gen. Thompson (Breaking Defense) "I'm not sure yet if we figured out a way to ensure part of that (commercial market) will survive," Gen. DT Thompson said. Space industry rebounds from pandemic (SpaceNews) Space companies in general, and startups in particular, have survived the pandemic and its economic fallout in relatively good shape. German industry pushes for space launch site in the North Sea (Defense News) A German industry association hopes civilian adoption of a micro-launch concept will open the door to defense applications. Space Development Agency wants someone to launch its first 28 satellites (C4ISRNET) The agency is looking for one launch provider to put its tranche 0 satellites on orbit starting in September 2022. DIA awards nearly $800 million in work to major defense primes (C4ISRNET) The DIA made two awards to Northrop Grumman and GDIT Northrop Grumman to Support NASA’s Artemis Missions with Motors for Orion Spacecraft’s Launch Abort System (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) will continue supporting NASA’s Artemis missions by providing six additional abort motors and attitude control motors (ACM) for the Orion human spaceflight capsule’s Launch Abort... SpaceX awarded contract to build US military tracking satellites (TheHill) Elon Musk’s SpaceX is one of two companies to be awarded a $149 million contract from the Space Development Agency to develop missile-tracking satellites for the U.S.  Boeing to Showcase ‘Low Earth Orbit to Deep Space’ Portfolio at International Astronautical Congress (SpaceRef) Boeing [NYSE: BA] will participate in the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) – The CyberSpace Edition, which is taking place Oct. 12-14, with an innovative virtual exhibit online at iac2020.vfairs.com. Virginia has a rocket launch site, and it’s about to grow with the most successful startup since SpaceX (Washington Post) With a first flight scheduled for later this year, Rocket Lab could launch once a month from Wallops Santa Clara 'space tug' company Momentus to go public via $1.2B 'blank check' deal (Silicon Valley Business Journal) The Santa Clara company, a Y Combinator alumnus, is the 10th business from the Bay Area this year to decide to take the reverse merger route to go public. USGIF’s New CEO … She Enjoys a Promotion (SatNews) The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Board of Directors (BOD) has elected Ronda Schrenk to serve as chief executive officer. Mercury Systems Named to Fortune Magazine's List of 100 Fastest-Growing Companies (GlobeNewswire) Achieves #50 ranking, highest-ranked Aerospace and Defense company named to list Products, Services, and Solutions How a tiny bit of lacquer grounded new Falcon 9 rockets for a month (Ars Technica) “Rocketry is tough and requires a lot of attention to detail.” SpaceX is replacing 2 rocket engines for its next astronaut launch for NASA (Space.com) The Crew-1 mission is on track for a Nov. 14 liftoff. SpaceX now targeting Nov. 14 for next astronaut launch (Space.com) SpaceX is gearing up for another historic astronaut launch next month. SpaceX prices Starlink satellite internet service at $99 per month, according to e-mail (CNBC) SpaceX is expanding the beta test of its Starlink satellite internet service, according to emails seen by CNBC, with service priced at $99 a month. SpaceX just launched 60 new Starlink internet satellites and nailed rocket landing at sea (Space.com) There's more than 800 Starlink satellites in orbit now. Alphabet’s Loon sets a new record for longest stratospheric flight (Engadget) Google Parent Alphabet has revealed that one of its Loon balloons spent 312 days aloft, breaking its previous stratospheric flight record of 223 days, by a wide margin. Virgin Galactic readies first spaceflight from Spaceport America for ‘later this this fall’ (TechCrunch) Virgin Galactic is getting ready to fly its first mission to space from its Spaceport America facility in New Mexico. This is the site that the company will use to host all of its commercial flights, and making it to space from this launch locale is crucial to getting to that point. Earlier this ye… Northrop Grumman’s Next Generation Digital Antenna Passes Key Milestone (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is moving into the design phase of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Aether Spy next-generation multifunction radar program after successfully completing the System... Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus Spacecraft Berths with International Space Station (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Cygnus spacecraft was successfully captured by Commander Chris Cassidy of NASA using the International Space Station’s robotic Canadarm2 at 5:32 a.m. EDT after its launch on the... Viasat BATS-D radios receive NSA certification (Intelligence Community News) Viasat Inc. of Carlsbad, CA announced on October 7 that it has released a new, advanced configuration of its handheld Link 16 Battlefield Awareness and Targeting System – Dismounted (BATS-D) radio. Technologies, Techniques, and Standards Europe will help build NASA's moon-orbiting Gateway space station (Space.com) Europe will provide a habitat module and a refueling module for the Gateway outpost. NASA SLS megarocket shortage causes tug-of-war between moon missions, Europa exploration (Space.com) You can't send a spacecraft to the outer solar system with no rocket. Satcom Tech Providers Must Have Virtualization Strategies to Meet Evolving Defense Needs (Via Satellite) The government and defense market has always relied on satellite communications, and this is only set to increase in the future. Mordor Intelligence projects a CAGR of 6.9% in the period between 2020 and 2025. Satellite communication is used across the breadth of the defense industry, around the world. From Services’ Fear Of Losing ‘Control’ Blocking JADC2 Progress, Experts Say (Breaking Defense) "This is a fundamental roles and missions question, and DoD needs to clearly designate a lead service and compel the other services to follow that lead," says Todd Harrison, space and budget expert at the Center for Strategic and International Security. X-37 Lessons Learned Could Help Space Force Define Future Capabilities - Air Force Magazine (Air Force Magazine) The Space Force is already thinking about future spaceplanes and other platforms that will succeed those now in service. 'No Clear Vision' Yet for Military Cargo Delivery via Space Rocket, General Says (Military.com) There have been proposals over the years to use space lift to deliver much-needed supplies to troops. Pentagon wants SpaceX delivering cargo around the globe — and a live test could come next year (C4ISRNET) U.S. Transportation Command wants to launch cargo into space and have it land somewhere else in the world, an hour later. The Military's Puzzling Plan To Have SpaceX Deliver A C-17's Worth Of Cargo Anywhere In An Hour (Updated) (The Drive) A new partnership with SpaceX and other companies could revolutionize how quickly the DoD can deliver cargo worldwide, but major questions remain. Soyuz crew launches on 'ultrafast' two-orbit flight to space station (Space.com) The trip will take just 3 hours. US Army to upgrade bigger units with new electronic warfare gear (C4ISRNET) The Army has outlined plans for a new electronic warfare, signals intelligence and cyber capability for larger echelons. Here's What The Army's Long-Awaited Super Air Defense Network Can Actually Do (The Drive) We go in-depth with Northrop Grumman's Kenn Todorov on what the Integrated Battle Command System is capable of now and what it could do in the future. US Army demonstrates a first in electronic warfare (C4ISRNET) The Army has demonstrated an ability that service officials and industry agree is significant. The Pentagon is developing modern architectures to dominate the electromagnetic spectrum (C4ISRNET) The Pentagon is working to develop new and modern architectures to stay ahead in the electromagnetic spectrum. Satellites played had a starring role at Project Convergence (C4ISRNET) To put it bluntly, the U.S. Army is not exactly known for its space savviness. But it's trying to change that as it prepares to face advanced adversaries in future conflicts. DoD to establish data commandments based on new strategy (Federal News Network) The Defense Department finalized its first-ever data strategy focused on eight guiding principles and seven goals to bring some standardization. The Navy needs industry to tackle software-defined networks, data sharing (C4ISRNET) Taking a traditional approach to networking is slowing the service down because hardware upgrades require cuts in ship's hulls. China selects 18 new astronauts in preparation for space station launch (Space.com) Chinese has selected a third group of astronauts for the nation's coming space station, the China Manned Space Agency announced. Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson won't fly on 1st crewed Starliner launch (Space.com) Ferguson is leaving the test flight for personal reasons. Air Force to launch space fundamentals course in January (UPI) The Air Force Test Center's Test Pilot School is selecting students for the first Space Test Fundamentals course, which begins January 2021. Space Development Agency orders 8 satellites to track hypersonic weapons (C4ISRNET) SpaceX and L3 Harris Technologies will each build four satellites with wide field of view overhead persistent infrared sensors to track hypersonic weapons. US Army plans to extend program that allows teleworkers to access classified information (C4ISRNET) As the U.S. Army moves forward with its classified telework plan, the Navy has taken notice. Design and Innovation NASA’s new rocket would be the most powerful ever. But it’s the software that has some officials worried. (Washington Post) NASA’s newest moon rocket is powered not only by four RS-25 engines that, combined, unleash 2 million pounds of thrust, but by two solid fuel side boosters that burn six tons of propellant a second at such enormous temperatures that during a recent test fire in the Utah desert, the flames turned sand to glass. Army Futures Command preparing an AI-ready workforce (Federal News Network) The Army is educating its modernization command so all employees will have some AI knowledge. US Army makes breakthroughs on future network tools (C4ISRNET) The U.S. Army strengthened several future network tools that will likely be part of Capability Set '23. NASA and Nokia are putting a 4G network on the moon (Intelligent Aerospace) Bell Labs said astronauts will use its wireless network for data transmission, controlling of lunar rovers, real-time navigation over lunar geography and streaming of high-definition video, David Goldman reports for CNN. Roper: Air Force Shopping for ‘Skyshots’ (Air Force Magazine) The Air Force is looking for “Skyshot” ideas that will spur industry while building relationships between the service and innovative startups, said acquisition chief Will Roper. Is a shared lab the next step in Project Convergence? (C4ISRNET) In addition to the annual Project Convergence demonstrations, Brigadier General Ross Coffman wants a joint laboratory where the services can work together on connecting their systems. Network, GPS Will Be Jammed In Project Convergence 2021 (Breaking Defense) In this fall’s Project Convergence exercises, it took a heroic effort just to get the network to work at all. Next year, the Army wants the network to function in the face of electronic attack. Intel Welcomes First Satellite made out of Artificial Intelligence (Analytics Insight) PhiSat-1 is a satellite that consists of a new hyperspectral-thermal camera and on-board artificial intelligence processing that is capable of recognising and discarding cloudy images which can save almost 30% of bandwidth. What We Don’t Know About Military Innovation (Defense One) It’s time to take stock of the Pentagon’s various rapid-acquisition efforts. Space Ops Command Seeks Industry Aid To ‘Scale Up’ Innovation (Breaking Defense) "I think that the hardest part for the Space Force is the challenge of security, and how would we work with small business in enable technologies that you guys have," Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt says. How ‘Team Ignite’ works to deliver concepts for the 2035 battlefield (C4ISRNET) Team Ignite works to bridge the future concepts community with the operational community. Here's what it's working on. How do you bridge the ‘valley of death’? Bring a ladder. (Defense News) What is it about the “valley of death” that both government and commercial software executives strive to cross? AFWERX Selects DISCUS Software Company (AiThority) AFWERX, selected DISCUS Software in the Enabling Technologies for Reverse Engineering and Additive/Agile Manufacturing Challenge. The studio behind ‘The Mandalorian’ is helping build a simulator for the Space Force (Task & Purpose) This is the way to lethal joint-domain superiority readiness Project Convergence: An Arena of Innovative Collaboration (Real Clear Defense) Many in defense would be cautious about using the word ‘renaissance,’ but in 2018, Dr. Mark Esper declared just that and argued, “the time for change is now.” USSOCOM seeks rapid capability assessment (Intelligence Community News) SOCOM S&T Futures has initiated an effort to develop AI for Maneuver, Intelligence, and Effects for Maritime Mobility. US Army solidifies requirements to counter small drones (Defense News) The requirements are set to counter small unmanned aircraft systems, and the Army-led joint office is seeking an enduring solution. Research and Development NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is tucking away precious asteroid samples for safekeeping (Space.com) The OSIRIS-REx probe is packing up while it can. How NASA snagged a sample from an asteroid 220 million miles away (Quartz) They expected a sandy beach, and found rocks and rubble. There May Be Far More Water on the Moon Than NASA Thought (Wired) A new pair of studies reveals that the resource isn’t limited to large shadowy craters. That's good news for the upcoming crewed missions. How to Build a Spacecraft to Save the World (Wired) WIRED paid a visit to NASA's first probe designed to protect Earth from killer asteroids. It launches next year. DARPA seeks NEED proposals (Intelligence Community News) On October 16, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) posted a submission opportunity for the Non-Escalatory Engagement to reduce... US Space Force’s next communications satellite clears milestone (C4ISRNET) Slated for delivery by prime contractor Boeing in 2023, Wideband Global SATCOM 11 is expected to provide a massive capability boost to the WGS satellites currently on orbit. SpaceX's Starman and Elon Musk's Tesla just made their 1st Mars flyby (Space.com) Starman got less than 5 million miles from the Red Planet. Boeing-built Space Force WGS-11+ Satellite Passes Design Review (SpaceRef) Boeing-built Space Force WGS-11+ Satellite Passes Design Review - SpaceRef Denim Group Awarded AFWERX SBIR Phase II Contract to Further Accelerate Distributed Software Delivery to Air Force Operators (BusinessWire) Denim Group today announced that AFWERX has awarded them a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract. Northrop Grumman and NASA Complete Environmental Testing on the James Webb Space Telescope (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) and NASA have completed environmental testing on the James Webb Space Telescope. The environmental testing demonstrated Webb’s ability to withstand harsh environmental... China's moon mission robots wake up for a 23rd lunar day as team snags major award (Space.com) China's Chang'e 4 moon mission received a prestigious international award just as the two spacecraft that make up the project awoke for their 23rd lunar day. Did NASA detect a hint of life on Venus in 1978 and not realize it? (Space.com) What if scientists had started hunting for life on Venus in 1978? BepiColombo spacecraft swings past Venus on long road to Mercury (Space.com) The BepiColombo mission, a European and Japanese project bound for Mercury, needed to swing past Venus to reach its destination, so why not do a little science on the way? Academia New NASA mentor program links Boeing, Southern University (Federal News Network) NASA has signed its newest mentor-protégé agreement. The latest arrangement is between Boeing and Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Legislation, Policy, and Regulation Elon Musk’s SpaceX says it will ‘make its own laws on Mars' (The Independent) ‘No Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities,’ SpaceX claims India says to sign military agreement with U.S. on sharing of satellite data (Reuters) India and the United States will sign a military agreement on sharing of satellite data during the current visit by U. S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the Indian defence ministry said on Monday, deepening strategic ties. China to sanction Boeing, Lockheed and Raytheon over Taiwan arms sales (Defense News) Chinese-U.S. relations have plunged to their lowest level in decades amid disputes about security, technology, the coronavirus pandemic and human rights. NATO space center to be built at Allied Air Command in Ramstein (UPI) NATO is expanding its defense alliance to space, and is expected to announce construction of a "space center" at Ramstein, Germany, this week. Exclusive: Space Command’s Gen. Raymond cites allies’ space commands and partnerships (Washington Examiner) Once challenged as duplicative and unnecessary, the United States Space Force in 10 month's time has spurred America’s closest allies to create their own space agencies and sign partnering agreements to follow the U.S. lead in space security, Space Force… 8 nations sign US-led Artemis Accords for moon exploration and beyond (Space.com) The Artemis Accords are guidelines for responsible exploration of the moon. US policy could thwart sustainable space development, researchers say (Space.com) The United States' space policy threatens the safe and sustainable development of the final frontier, two researchers argue. Astronomers hope UN can help protect dark skies against megaconstellation threat (Space.com) The long-term goal is to get UN guidelines picked up as national licensing regulations. Bipartisan group of lawmakers launches House Space Force Caucus (SpaceNews) A bipartisan group of House members have formed a Space Force Caucus to advocate on behalf of the military’s newest service. FAA cuts the red tape for commercial rocket launches (and landings, too) (Space.com) "We're cutting the red tape that has held this industry to the launch pad for far too long," Brianna Manzelli said. Space Force and NASA sort out who’s defending the planet from threats from the heavens and on Earth (Washington Examiner) Despite the name, no one in the new armed forces branch will go into space. Space Force establishes the first of three field commands (Defense News) Air Force Space Command is now Space Operations Command, the first of three new field commands the Space Force is establishing. The First Space Force Recruits Are Headed to Basic Military Training (Military.com) Seven new recruits will head to basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Space Force gets its first recruits (Air Force Times) The Space Force recruits will next head to the Air Force's boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. US Space Force Is Getting Its Own NCO Academy (Military.com) The move to create a separate institution will distinguish Space Force and its warfighting roles from those of the Air Force. You Can’t Escape Your Past … Even in Space: What Space Force Can Learn From the Air Corps Tactical School (War on the Rocks) “If we get this right, we will be the envy of the other services because we are not tied to the past.” This statement from Gen. Jay Raymond, the Space Op-ed | Space Force should break the mold in recruiting and retaining talent (SpaceNews) The U.S. Space Force now has the perfect opportunity to revolutionize the military personnel system. Boots on The Moon Are Going to Have to Wait, Space Force General Says (Defense One) NASA’s astronaut program is the quickest way to space for military personnel. The Space Force’s Need for Speed (Air Force Magazine) If the U.S. Space Force is going to be successful in a domain that makes the Indo-Pacific area of operations look small, speed is key. US Space Force to establish new acquisitions command in 2021 (C4ISRNET) Space Systems Command will be launched sooner rather than later, says Space Force Vice Commander Lt. Gen. David Thompson, as the Space Force finalizes plans to absorb space-related organizations from the other services. Space Force Nears Year Mark, Acquisition Remains A Quagmire (Breaking Defense) The Space Development Agency "could easily die away without anybody missing it," said former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson. Space Force Grappling With How to Define Readiness (Air Force Magazine) The Space Force is trying to figure out what “readiness” means for space operations, saying USAF’s aircraft- and deployment-centric model doesn't work. William Shatner and the Military Times brought America into the most important debate in the NDAA (Military Times) Discussions on how the U.S. Space Force needs to separate itself from Air Force culture is important for its future and should not be ignored, says the author of this commentary. Space Force and cyber (FCW) Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center under the U.S. Space Force, said cybersecurity was increasingly integral to space missions and changes had to be made to infrastructure contracts. Multi-Domain Operations doctrine still a few years out, says US Army chief (Defense News) The Army is working to refine its war-fighting concept, but calling it doctrine won't happen for several years, the Army chief said. The Army is shutting down its highly praised Asymmetric Warfare Group (Army Times) The group helped with rapid, real-time change for forces in theater and headed to combat. US Army, Air Force sign agreement to develop joint all-domain concept (C4ISRNET) The signed agreement came during a meeting between the Air Force and Army chiefs of staff. Army G-6 Leader Outlines Priorities After Split from CIO (Nextgov.com) Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. John B. Morrison Jr. aims to use innovative hiring strategies to lure technical talent to his office. US Army’s top uniformed IT official lays out priorities for new office (C4ISRNET) The U.S. Army's new G-6 office will work toward preparing the Army for multi-domain operations. Space Force gets its first vice chief of space operations (C4ISRNET) Having effectively served as deputy to Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Space Force vice chief tests positive for COVID-19 (Air Force Times) Gen. David Thompson is the latest top military official to test positive for coronavirus or quarantine this month. JADC2 Needs Pentagon To Overhaul Data Management Policies (Breaking Defense) "There are going to be some vulnerabilities in there. We just have to recognize them immediately, and then be able to sort it out and mitigate it rapidly," Space Force Lt. Gen. Saltzman says. The US Navy’s ‘Manhattan Project’ has its leader (C4ISRNET) The U.S. Navy's top officer has created Navy Focused on Strengthening Networks to Support Unmanned Operations (USNI News) As the Navy secretariat and the chief of naval operations’ staff continue to map out how unmanned platforms would contribute to distributed maritime operations, the value of a good network – including one that can be accessed by the joint force and allies – is becoming more and more apparent. Dorothy Engelhardt, the director of … Profiles in Space: Commander of Communication (DVIDS) Capt. Amber Hagy, commander of Company A at the Wideband Satellite Communications Operations Center, Fort Detrick, Maryland, ensures 10 Wideband Global SATCOM satellites and two Defense SATCOM System satellites are operational and provide wideband payload control, transmission control, and defensive space control for the warfighter, Department of Defense and international partners’ communications. Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement One senator is still asking questions about the Pentagon’s JEDI cloud (C4ISRNET) Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wants to know if the technology requirements in the JEDI cloud contract are outdated.

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