Exolaunch, D-Orbit, Launcher, Varda Among Companies Hitching Rides on SpaceX Transporter-8
The eighth Transporter mission is set to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base (34.63°N, 120.61°W) in Southern California on June 8 via SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5. Transporter-8 is the 2nd SpaceX dedicated rideshare (44th overall for F9) to launch from VSFB SLC-4E pad, and the mission is to see the 11th first stage landing on Landing Zone 4 – formerly SLC-4W. Dozens of payloads are being carried to 500-600km sun synchronous orbit, with many continuing their journey to custom orbits via specialized third-party space tug operators. Exolaunch of Germany is to deploy 32kg in-space inspection precursor DROID.001 (Turion Space) via CarboNIX system. D-Orbit of Italy is sending its 11th ION orbital transfer vehicle carrying 3U cubesats Outpost Mission 0 and SpeiSat, the first orbital mission of the Vatican. Launcher (recently acquired by Vast) is to place 6 payloads with Orbiter on its SN3 mission: Otter Pup (Starfish Space), Pleiades-Squared (Cal Poly Pomona), Nightingale 1 (Cesium Astro), TRL11-SN3-Demo (TRL11), Remora (Millenium Space), and MDQSAT-1C/1D (Innova Space). The first Varda in-space manufacturing and re-entry capsule, a 120-kg craft, is riding on a Rocket Lab Photon exploration stage which will provide power, communications, and altitude control during 3-month mission during which protease inhibitor Ritonavir (used in HIV and COVID antivirals) is to be manufactured. Photon will also set the Varda manufacturing craft on a re-entry trajectory for retrieval on Earth at end of mission. (Image Credits: Exolaunch, Launcher, Varda)
MONDAY
☆ Jun 5 — International Space Station,~415-km LEO: Expedition 69 seven-member crew working to transfer cargo from Dragon CRS 28 resupply vessel, continuing experiments and maintenance as Astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg prep for EVAs.
☆ Jun 5 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 16 crewmembers Jing Haipeng (commander), Zhu Yangzhu (Flight Engineer), and Gui Haichao (Payload Specialist & first civilian Taikonaut) to conduct 50 experiments over 6 months.
Highlights…
o NewSpace: ESA soliciting commercial providers for ISS cargo delivery (2 t) and return (1 t) by 2028; Rocket Lab to launch LEO 3, built by Space Flight Laboratory for Telesat Lightspeed constellation, on Electron NET Q3; Space tourism companies to be indemnified against litigation in Florida under Spaceflight Entity Liability Bill.
☆ Solar System: CMSA Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang affirms “main goal” of program is human Moon landings in 2020s; Boeing working to correct problems with CST-100 Starliner parachute and wiring insulation, further postponing first crewed flight test to ISS; ispace to modify lander software ahead of M2 attempt, still set for 2024, following determination that sensor interpretation error caused M1 crash.
☆ Galaxy: University of Florida study of 163 M-dwarf exoplanets using Kepler and Gaia data suggests orbits of up to 1/3 may be suitable for liquid water / life; Ultrasonic pulse technology shown to trigger hibernation state in mice may have application for human interstellar travel; New Hubble “jellyfish galaxy” JW39 photo raises speculation of consequences of one supermassive or multiple black holes.
o Global: New Zealand to increase domestic space capabilities under new National Space Policy; Spain is 35th signatory to Artemis Accords; Naoki Shinohara of Kyoto University leading public-private coalition which plans demonstration of space-based solar power transmission to Earth NET 2025.
●USA: State Department seeking to expand soft power amidst “increasing great power rivalry” with A Strategic Framework for Space Diplomacy; NASA UAP study group says it needs higher quality data, will issue final report by end of July; Galileo Project observatory at Harvard collecting all-sky data in multiple spectra, 5 additional facilities to be built with private funds.
● Hawai’i: PISCES newsletter updates on UH-Hilo aeronautical program & NexTech student engineering workshop; SAR data analysis of Sentinel-1 used by volcanologists in Alaska to measure deformation / inflation may also aid Hawaii eruption monitoring; Japan science ministry honoring Subaru astronomers Hideki Umehata of Nagoya University and Yuichi Harikane of University of Tokyo with 2023 Young Scientists’ Award.
● = Terrestrial and… o = International terrestrial events
☾ = Moon activity
★ = Space and… ☆ = International space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).
CO School of Mines Event to Address Infrastructure Development, Resources for Moon and Mars Occupation
Space Resources Roundtable at Colorado School of Mines, Golden, June 6-9, to convene international experts addressing Lunar South Pole exploration, environment, sustainable infrastructure, resources in Cislunar Space, Moon, Mars, space manufacturing and construction with presenters from Japan, Luxembourg, New South Wales, Australia, South Korea, Scotland, Canada. Keynote speakers include Peter Garretson, Senior Fellow Defense Studies, on why space resources matter, and James L. Reuter, NASA Associate Administrator, with updates on Viper South Pole mobile robot mission by Kimberly Ennico, NASA Ames Research Center. Viper is planned for mission to South Pole of Moon to view concentration of water, ice. Other NASA updates to include ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization), plans, projects, A Martian Year of ISRU on Mars by Michael Hecht, MIT Haystack Observatory, and by Jun Shimada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Concept of a Lunar ISRU Plant. Peter Visscher, Director, Canadensys West, to speak on Canadian Lunar Rover Mission set to launch as early as 2026. Canadian Rover is to explore South Polar region of Moon searching for water, ice in lunar soil. Ben Bussey, Chief Engineer, Intuitive Machines, to address Commercially Enabling International Lunar Scientific Exploration. Intuitive is also working with NASA towards first exploration of Lunar South Pole. Kyla Edison, CO School of Mines, will address Casting and Annealing Experiments of Lunar Mare and Anorthosite Regolith Simulants. (Image Credits: AFPC, NASA, ResearchGate, Linkedin, The Ecomonic Times, Gunter’s Space Page)
☆ Jun 5 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Today marks 1st full year / starts 2nd year of continuous Human occupation of TSS; Shenzhou 14 three-member crew launched on this day in 2022, beginning occupation.
● Jun 6-9 — Space Resources Roundtable, Colorado School of Mines, Golden CO: 23rd Space Resources Roundtable (SRR); technical presentations and roundtable discussions for space-resource activities in cislunar space, the Moon, Mars, and small bodies.
o Jun 6-9 — Infocomm Media Development Authority, Informa Tech, Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau, Euroconsult, NUS Enterprise, et al, Singapore: Asia Tech x Singapore.
☆ Jun 6 — Moon: At perigee, 13:14.
☆ Jun 6 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 KW2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU).
o Jun 7-8 — Hub Exhibitions, Farnborough International, ADS, KTN, UK Space Agency, UK Space, Farnborough,United Kingdom: Space-Comm Expo 2023; featuring Astronaut Tim Peake.
☆ Jun 7 — Aten Asteroid 2018 KR: Near-Earth Flyby (0.016 AU).
☆ Jun 7 — Apollo Asteroid 2017 UJ2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.013 AU).
THURSDAY
★ Jun 8 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Transporter 8, Vandenberg Space Force Base CA: Falcon 9 rocket to launch Transporter 8 rideshare to sun-synchronous orbit with numerous microsatellites and nanosatellites.
☆ Jun 9 — International Space Station, U.S. EVA #87, 405-km LEO: Astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg to exit Quest airlock to install an upgraded IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array); live coverage available.
o Jun 9-18 — National Space Foundation, NOIRLab, International Dark-Sky Association, AURA, Online / Global: Globe at Night June Campaign; campaign to raise awareness of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure & submit night sky brightness observations.
☆ Jun 9 — Aten Asteroid 2023 JB3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU).
SATURDAY
☆ Jun 10 — Moon: At last quarter.
SUNDAY
o Jun 11-14 — Banca Transilvania, Space for a Better World, Romanian Space Initiative, et al, Bucharest, Romania: Aim Higher Romania; celebrating Romania’s role in Artemis Program with NASA and ESA, featuring international Astronauts, Space Day Romania (Jun 11, 12), Innovation Summit (Jun 13), and Gala (Jun 14).
★ Jun 11 — Fermi Gamma-ray Telescope, LEO: Spacecraft with Large Area Telescope & Gamma-ray Burst Monitor instruments reaches 15 full years / enters 16th year in Space; launched 2008.
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