International Astronautical Federation (IAF) 2023 Spring Meetings Gather Space Community in Paris
Global astronautic stakeholders to assemble at CAP Convention Center for 3 days (March 28-30) of committee meetings and plenary lectures on a broad range of space topics including commercial spaceflight, propulsion, space habitats, materials, planetary defense / NEOs, space-based astronomy and Earth observation, space education, workforce development, space debris, cultural utilization of space as well as reports from Africa, Asia-Pacific and Europe subcommittees. Day 1 (“Diversity Day”) will feature an Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Administrative Committee (IDEA) parallel track, with presentation of IAF Diversity Award Sub-Committee at “3G+” Diversity Breakfast, remarks by IAF President Clay Mowry and IAF Administrative Committee for Emerging Space ecoSystems (ACCESS) presentation at “3G+” Diversity Luncheon. Day 2 will feature keynote Global Networking Forum addresses by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher (Europe’s Space Ambition) and GLOC 2023 Project Manager Ole Dokka (Fire and Ice – Space For Climate Action). Panel discussions will be held on International Astronautical Congress (IAC) Milan 2024 with Italian Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics President Erasmo Carrera and ASI President Giorgio Saccoccia and Connecting @ll Space People In A Challenging Geopolitical Environment, a roundtable on the importance of continuing space dialogue during periods of international conflict. The event will conclude Day 3 with consideration of abstracts submitted for presentation at International Astronautical Congress 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan and an awards celebration. (Image Credits: IAF)
MONDAY
☆ Mar 27 — International Space Station,~415-km LEO: Expedition 68 to become Exp. 69 with undocking of uncrewed MS-22 this week; working with water purifying techniques, biomanufacturing, heart studies, and astrobiology.
☆ Mar 27 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou-15 now confirmed to return to Earth in June; 1st batch of experiments selected by CMSA and UNOOSA are scheduled to launch to station this year.
Highlights…
o NewSpace: Space manufacturing startup Varda to test hypersonic systems under $70M USSF award; Innospace of S. Korea advances Hanbit-Nano SSO launch vehicle development with successful suborbital test of HANBIT-TLV from Alcântara Space Center; Virgin Orbit to sustain mission operations with $200M private cash infusion.
☆ Solar System: ispace working to execute control maneuvers from lunar orbit in preparation for late April HAKUTO-R landing; RNA nucleobase uracil, niacin and other organic compounds detected in 5.4-g Ryugu sample, advancing search for life; Ingenuity far surpasses original 30-day 5-flight tech demo by completing 48th flight in 2nd year on Mars.
☆ Galaxy: UC-Berkeley study suggests interstellar object ʻOumuamua is comet with unique hydrogen outgassing which eluded prior detection; VHS 1256 b exoplanet ~40 ly distant under study after JWST observes weather patterns / clouds in atmosphere.
●USA: NASA preparing to integrate 4 Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engines on SLS launch vehicle core stage at Michoud Assembly Facility in NOLA for NET Nov 2024 Artemis 2 launch – the mission’s 4 Astronauts are to be revealed next Monday.
● Hawai’i: SOFIA analysis co-authored by Paul Lucey of UH Mānoa shows signals for molecular water (H2O) within Curtius, Moretus, Cabeus, Haworth & Nobile craters, informing water-seeking missions; placement offers for Akamai paid internship being sent over next 2 months, 8-week program begins in June.
● = 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’).
AIAA 2nd ASCENDxTexas Conference to Feature 33 Distinguished Speakers with Future Vision Focus
AIAA ASCENDxTexas Conference with 2023 theme Pathways for Our Success: Breaking Barriers & Accelerating the Space Ecosystem is being held in Houston March 29-30. Launched in 2020, ASCEND “Accelerate Space Commerce, Exploration, and New Discovery” annual conferences are held in the fall in Las Vegas, and other venues including Texas & online meetings are held throughout the year. Julie Van Kleeck (ASCEND Executive Producer) will give welcome remarks followed by Vanessa Wyche (JSC Director), a Keynote ‘Charge to Move Forward’ by Michael Gazarik (Ball Aerospace), a panel on ‘Expanding the LEO Stakeholder Base’ with Mark Gittleman (Aegis Aerospace) & Randy Lillard (Blue Origin), and talks on ‘International Partnerships and Engagements’ by Kathy Laurini (Dynetics) and Karen Feldstein (NASA). On Day 2, the Challenges to Commercialization panel features Steve Altemus (Intuitive Machines), Christian Maender (Axiom Space), Kirk Shireman (Lockheed), and Dan Tani (Northrop Grumman). The NASA Program Updates will have talks on Commercial Lunar Payload Services, Commercial Low Earth Orbit, Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program, and Common Exploration Systems Development. Speaking on the last panel is AIAA current Executive Director Dan Dumbacher who will be replaced by Dan Hastings of MIT in May and is set to become the first Black president of AIAA which now has 95 corporate and ~30,000 individual members from 91 countries. (Image Credits: AIAA, ASCEND, MIT)
● Mar 27-28 — ESA Dust Studies Working Group in the Gateway Utilization Coordination Group, Online: Virtual Workshop on Gateway Dust Studies in 2030s; with Veerle Sterken (ETH Zurich), Hajime Yano (JAXA), Ron Lee (NASA), Penelope Wozniakiewicz (University of Kent).
o Mar 27-28 — Axiom Space, IceCubes, AM Technology, Stoli Chem, et al, Rotterdam, The Netherlands: The Space Summit Europe; discussing life sciences technologies in space aboard ISS.
o Mar 27-29 — Government of India, Ministry of Science & Technology, Digital India, Skill India, et al, New Delhi, India: 30th Convergence India Expo.
● Mar 27-31 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Space Studies Board, et al, Hybrid / Washington DC and Online: Space Science Week 2023.
☆ Mar 27 — Mercury: 1.28° NNW of Jupiter, 20:00.
☆ Mar 27 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 DX2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.021 AU)
☆ Mar 27 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 FT: Near-Earth Flyby (0.043 AU)
☆ Mar 27 — Amor Asteroid 2023 AO1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.074 AU)
☆NET Mar 26 — ISRO, Launch GSLV Mk III (LVM3) / OneWeb 36, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India: ISRO to launch next batch of 36 communication satellites for OneWeb constellation.
☆ Mar 28 — ISS, Uncrewed Soyuz MS-22 Undocking,~415-km LEO: Damaged Soyuz MS-22 craft set to undock from ISS today, attempt to return to Earth with equipment / gear; 05:52 EDT, live coverage available; ISS Expedition 69 to commence with undocking.
o Mar 28-30 — International Astronautical Federation, International Academy of Astronautics, International Institute of Space Law, Paris, France:IAF Spring Meetings 2023; at CAP Convention Center.
☆ Mar 28 — Moon: 2.30° N of Mars, 04:00; Mars and M35 cluster within circle of diameter 3.53°, 04:00; 3.5° N of M35 cluster, 05:00; at first quarter, 16:32.
☆ Mar 28 — Aten Asteroid 2021TC4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.067 AU)
WEDNESDAY
☆ Mar 29 — Roscosmos, Launch Soyuz / Undisclosed,Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia: Soyuz rocket to launch undisclosed payload for Russia military.
●Mar 29 — Axios, Boeing, Bank of America, GM, Live Nation Entertainment, Hybrid / Washington DC and Online: What’s Next Summit 2023; livestream starts 08:10, will feature talk with NASA Admin Bill Nelson.
☆ Mar 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 YK4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU)
THURSDAY
☆NET Mar 30 — Space Pioneer (Beijing Tianbing Technology Co), Launch Tianlong-2 F1 / Jinta, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China: First flight of commercial company Space Pioneer with Tianlong-2 rocket carrying Jinta remote sensing satellite to 500-km altitude.
★ Mar 30 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink 6-2,SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Falcon 9 to launch next batch of Starlink internet satellites for SpaceX with new; first stage to land on drone ship in Atlantic Ocean.
★Mar 30 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / SDA Tranche-0,SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB CA: Falcon 9 rocket to launch 10 Tranche-0 demo satellites for USA DoD Space Development Agency; first stage to land on shore at Landing Zone 4.
☆ Mar 30 — Moon: 1.57° S of Pollux, 00:00.
☆ Mar 30 — Venus: 1.22° NNW of Uranus, 12:00.
☆ Mar 30 — Apollo Asteroid 2017 SE12: Near-Earth Flyby (0.013 AU)
☆ Mar 30 — Apollo Asteroid 2016 GH1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.019 AU)
☆ Mar 30 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 EK2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)
☆ Mar 31 — Moon: At apogee, distance 404,949 km, 11:00; 3.9° NNE of Beehive Cluster, 05:00.
☆ Mar 31 — Mercury: At perihelion, 0.3075 AU from Sun, 10:00.
☆ Mar 31 — Amor Asteroid 2023 ER2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.061 AU)
☆ Mar 31 — Aten Asteroid 2022 FX1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.097 AU)
SATURDAY
☆ NET Q2 — JAXA, Launch H-2A / Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) and X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM),Tanegashima Space Center, Japan: SLIM Moon mission project date to launch to small crater in Mare Nectaris on Moon near side equatorial region, with X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) for studying galactic plasma; will test technologies for future lunar missions.
☆ NET Apr — Gilmour Space, Launch Eris, Bowen Orbital Spaceport, Queensland, Australia: Inaugural flight of 23-m / 30,000-kg solid fueled rocket, first Australia domestic orbital launch.
☆ Apr 1 — Deep Space, Kuiper Belt: New Horizons spacecraft on interstellar trajectory should have enough power for transmitters / communications until at least 2030; NASA opens RFI for mission science objectives beyond FY24.
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