February 10-16, 2025 / Vol 44, No 6 / Hawai`i Island, USA

United Nations Holds COPUOS and UNOOSA Meetings to Focus on Cislunar PNT and Space Debris

On February 11-13 the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), directed by Aarti Holla-Maini, will hold a workshop in Vienna, Austria on cislunar positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), along with the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems and Interagency Operations Advisory Group. The goal of this joint meeting is to establish infrastructure needed for consistent, precise, real-time lunar PNT services that are universally compatible and accessible by global lunar space users. Opening day sessions will be led by co-chairs Joel Parker (NASA), Masaya Murata (JAXA), Ashish Shukla (ISRO) and Matt Cosby (UKSA). The following days feature representatives from CNSA, IAU, ESA, CAST, IOAG, Space Frequency Coordination Group (SFCG) and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). For this workshop, “cislunar PNT service providers include broadcast transmissions from space-based (orbiting) vehicles, direct point-to-point transmission in lunar proximity, 3GPP systems, surface pseudolites, surface transmitters of RF ‘beacons’, WiFi, augmentations, and other complementary systems.” The UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) Scientific and Technical Subcommittee 62nd session is also convening in Vienna on Feb 3-14. Each day consists of morning and afternoon technical session, and some of the agenda items include: two sessions on space debris, two on space-system-based disaster management support, near-Earth objects, long-term sustainability of outer space activities, use of nuclear power sources in outer space, and dark & quiet skies. (Image credits: UN, NASA, JAXA)

MONDAY 

☆ Feb 10 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 72 seven-member crew working with newly installed Navigation and Communication Testbed (NAVCOM) demonstration hardware inside the Columbus laboratory module to aid future development of lunar stations, transferring cargo from Progress 89+90 & Cygnus-21, monitoring carbon dioxide levels, working with plasma crystals experiment.

☆ Feb 10 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 19 three-member crew share details about upgraded space suit performance, experiences during EVAs, importance of system-wide emergency pressure drills, medical rescue exercises, AI assistance, growing vegetables and raising of fruit flies in space.

☆ Feb 10 — Tianwen-1 Orbiter, Mars Orbit: China Tianwen-1 orbiter reaches 4 full years / begins 5th year of operations in Mars orbit; Lander & Rover touched down ~3 months after this date at Utopia Planitia 25.1°N, 109.9°E; launched July 2020, reached orbit 2021.

★ Feb 10 — Solar Orbiter (SolO), Elliptical Heliocentric Orbit: ESA / NASA craft to observe and measure solar phenomena reaches 5th full year / enters 6th year in space, having launched 2020.

☾ Feb 10 — Moon: 2.69° NNE of Beehive Cluster, 22:00.

☆ Feb 10 — Apollo Asteroid 2025 CO: Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)

TUESDAY

☆ Feb 11 — CNSA,  Launch Long March 8A / TBD, Wenchang Space Launch Site, Hainan, China: First demo flight of Long March 8A with upgraded first stage and booster, larger 2nd stage with new YF-75H engines; launch window 18:00-18:42 China Time.

o Feb 11-13 — UNOOSA, International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems, Interagency Operations Advisory Group, Vienna, Austria: Workshop on Cislunar Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT).

● Feb 11-20 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Online / Reston VA: Course: Business Development for Aerospace Professionals; 12 classroom hours / 1.2 CEU/PDH; US$295-995.

☾ = Moon activity, ★ = Space and… ☆ = International space / astro events in local time unless noted.

FAA and Commercial Space Federation Team Up for Commercial Space Conference

27th Annual Commercial Space Conference: Launching Tomorrow: Government and Industry Taking Space to New Heights convenes February 12 in Washington DC with 100s of participants. Co-sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Commercial Space Federation (CSF) (rebranded from Spaceflight to Space), speakers include AIAA’s Clay Mowry and those from NASA, National Space Council, FAA, The White House and Congress. SpaceX is Premier/Title Sponsor this year. The FAA licenses 14 space launch facilities in 9 states; 7 facilities are licensed for vertical launches, 10 for horizontal launches and 2 for orbital reentry, with 2 launch sites doing horizontal / vertical, and 1 doing horizontal / orbital reentry. CSF is a commercial space industry trade association with ~85 members and promotes the development of commercial human spaceflight. It interacts with the U.S. Congress and Administration, encouraging growth and innovation within six councils: Launch & Reentry, Commercial LEO, Space Exploration, Spaceports & Infrastructure, Remote Sensing & Analytics and Satellite & Space Situational Awareness (SSA). CSF also has a Political Action Committee and three core principles to promote, concerning how the U.S. Government regards Space: 1) rely as much as possible on the commercial space industry, 2) use fixed-price contracts and full / open competition for purchases, 3) eliminate unnecessary regulations. CSF and FAA leadership often share members, and Congress calls CSF participants for testimony at hearings. (Pictured: Kelvin B. Coleman – FAA, Dave Cavossa – CSF President, Anna Menon & Sarah Gillis – SpaceX; Image credits: Polaris Program / John Kraus)

WEDNESDAY

● Feb 12 — Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington DC: 27th Annual Commercial Space Conference: Launching Tomorrow: Government and Industry Taking Space to New Heights.

☾ Feb 12 — Moon: Full Snow Moon, 03:53; 1.97° NE of Regulus, 17:00.

THURSDAY 

☆ Feb 13 — ISS Visible Pass: International Space Station to make visible pass above Hawaiian Islands, magnitude -2.6, traveling NNW to NNE, 05:38:16-05:42:39.

● Feb 13 — U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA and NIST, Washington DC: Building an In-Space Circular Economy; to utilize space-based resources sustainably by minimizing waste and maximizing the reuse and recycling of materials in space operations.

FRIDAY

o Feb 14 — ESA, European Astronaut Centre, Cologne, Germany: ESA’s FLY! Feasibility Study Press Briefing; study concluded that it is technically feasible to fly someone with a physical disability to ISS for 6-month mission.