Japan Hosting 3 Simultaneous Space Conferences: 14th Low-Cost Planetary Missions, 33rd Intl Space Tech and Science, 10th Nano-Satellite
14th IAA Low-Cost Planetary Missions Conference is being held February 28 to March 4 in Beppu, Japan supported by The Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences along with 33rd International Symposium on Space Technology & Science, and 10th Nano-Satellite Symposium. There will be an opening and closing ceremony, Spacecraft Control System Design Contest, 9 poster sessions and 9 Special Sessions – the first of which ‘World Space Highlight’ will feature Shoji Yoshikazu (JAXA), Garvey McIntosh (NASA), Niklas Reinke (DLR) and Mariez Julien (CNES). There are 21 themes that cover topics such as Chemical Propulsion and Air-breathing Engines, Science and Technology for Human and Robotic Space Exploration, Earth Observation, Space Power, Space Life Science, and Space Education & Outreach for the Benefit of All People. Of the 125 planned Oral sessions (each with numerous presentations) there are 34 Moon-related talks including: Ready for launch: CubeSat Moon Lander OMOTENASHI by Tatsuaki Hashimoto, Obstacles at Candidate Landing Sites with Long-Term Illuminated Areas of Lunar South Pole Region by Junichi Haruyama, and Lunar OASIS 2045 – the First Human Settlement on Earth’s Moon by John Mankins. Yimeng Li from University of Nottingham Ningbo China will speak on ‘Preliminary Results: A Compact and High Thrust-to-Power Micropropulsion System Using Ultrasonic Vibrating Mesh Technology’; Naqsh Zafar from Saint Cloud State Univ. on ‘Laser-Based Removal of Metals from Orbit’; and Filippo Maggi from Politecnico di Milano on ‘Current Environmental Concerns about Space and Suborbital Launch Activities’. (Image Credits: IAA, JSASS, NASA, GSFC)
MONDAY
☆ Feb 21 – ISS, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 66 seven-member crew to facilitate capture of Cygnus NG-17 today 04:35 EST, followed by installation and gradual ~3,700-kg cargo transfer; working with 3,500 kg of cargo from Progress 80P, Astrobees and COLBERT treadmill.
☆ Feb 21 – Tiangong Space Station, ~370-km LEO: Shenzhou 13 crew testing robotic arm for various functions in preparation for Wentian module launching NET June; continuing station configurations and experiments.
Highlights…
o NewSpace: Polaris 3-mission series to feature 1st private astronaut EVA, 1st crewed Starship flight; E-space to begin launching 100,000-satellite constellation NET March with US$50M seed funds; Artemis Music Entertainment sending music / other digital missions to space / ISS / Beyond.
☆ Solar System: Chandra X-ray Observatory team working to solve power issue causing pause of science operations; Analysis of TNO 2021 XD7, discovered with 1.8-meter Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, may aid hunt for hypothetical ‘Planet 9’.
☆ Galaxy: Dutch astronomy team investigating origin of largest galaxy yet discovered, radio galaxy Alcyoneus, 16M LY wide; Helium burning stars coated in carbon and oxygen may be result of merger of white dwarf stars, according to German and Argentina researchers.
o Global: National Automonous University of Mexico prepares 5-microbot (60 g, 12-cm diameter) ColmenaHive mission to explore Moon aboard Astrobotic Mission 1; China proposes communication protocol be established to avoid collisions in space; Wet dress rehearsals are set to begin at launch site in Scotland.
● USA: Charles Bolden, Danny Olivas, Waleed Abdalati are among new appointments to serve on NASA Advisory Council; DoD to scrutinize Aerospace mergers on antitrust grounds after Lockheed Martin $4.4B acquisition attempt of Aerojet Rocketdyne; NASA / NOAA collaborative study finds sea levels to rise by 0.30 meters by 2050.
● Hawai’i: 4 Waipahu High School students to be awarded observing time at Mauna Kea Observatories; IfA Director Doug Simons draws analogy to Pacific exploration to astronomy, “Our medium has changed from ocean to space itself and our islands have now turned into planets”.
☆Feb 21 – ISS, NG-17 Rendezvous and Capture, ~405-km LEO: NG-17 “SS Piers Sellers” the 18th Cygnus cargo freighter on 17th operational cargo flight to arrive at ISS, live coverage available, 04:35 EST.
● = Terrestrial events, and…
o = International terrestrial events in local time.
★ = Space events, and… ☆ = International space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).
Rocket Lab Steadily Builds Orbital Launch Capability and Customer Roster Ahead of Deep Space Missions to Moon, Mars, Venus
Rocket Lab claims mantle of 2nd most frequently USA launch provider <5 years after initial attempt “It’s a Test” (May 2017) with 109 satellites delivered to LEO to date. While mission cadence has been affected by the pandemic, Rocket Lab is readying a host of upcoming launches from Launch Complex 1 on Māhia Peninsula of New Zealand North Island. Launch window for ‘The Owl’s Night Continues’, the first of three dedicated Electron launch booked by Earth Observation company Synspective to loft Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites, opens Jan 15. ‘Without Mission A Beat’, coordinated by rideshare management company Spaceflight, is to continue deployment of BlackSky constellation NET March. Blacksky is also set to launch with ISRO on SSLV-D2, 2nd demonstration flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle NET April. Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck has ambitious goals of deep space exploration and science including “Lunar flyby, L1/L2 points, low-Lunar orbit” utilizing Photon kick stage: CAPSTONE may lead Artemis armada NET March 19, pathfinding Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit to be used by Lunar Gateway and testing a navigation system that works with LRO. First Private Mission to Venus is to follow up on signs of phosphine (detected by MIT in 2020) from 48.3-km altitude. Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers mission with partners at University of California Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory will characterize magnetosphere of Mars NET 2024. (Image Credits: Rocket Lab)
Continued From… o Nov 4 – Jun 29 – Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Problems, NASA Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA),Moscow, Russia: Mixed gender crew of 6 participating in 8-month space / lunar simulation mission SIRIUS-21 (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station).
●Feb 19-26 – Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, Coca-Cola, Online / New York NY: 2022 Kids Week; family-friendly week of fun, educational programming.
o Feb 22-24 – Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai: World Space Risk Forum 2022; forum for the global space community to better understand space risks, new technologies and innovations with the goal to find ways to best mitigate risks.
☆ Feb 22 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 CC2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU)
☆ Feb 22 — Apollo Asteroid 1999 VF22: Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)
☆ Feb 22 — Aten Asteroid 2022 BA6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.020 AU)
☆ Feb 23 — Moon: At last quarter, 12:33; 3.4° NNE of Antares, 22:00.
☆ Feb 23 — Apollo Asteroid 2017 CX1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.038 AU)
☆ Feb 23 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 BS6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.035 AU)
THURSDAY
● Feb 24 – AGU, ASLO, The Oceanography Society, IEE Ocean Engineering Society, PICES, UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development,Online / Honolulu HI: 2022 Ocean Sciences Meeting.
☆ Feb 24 — Mars: Autumn equinox for Mars north hemisphere, 04:00.
FRIDAY
★ Feb 25 – Parker Solar Probe, Heliocentric Orbit: Spacecraft reaches 11th perihelion today.
SATURDAY
☆ Feb 26 — Moon: At perigee (distance 367,764 km), 12:36.
SUNDAY
☆ Feb 27 – Rocket Lab, Synspective, Launch Electron / StriX-β, Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand: 14-day launch window opens for Mission ‘The Owl’s Night Continues’ to add second synthetic aperture radar satellite to constellation of Tokyo-based Synspective.
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Rocket Lab claims mantle of 2nd most frequently USA launch provider <5 years after initial attempt “It’s a Test” (May 2017) with 109 satellites delivered to LEO to date. While mission cadence has been affected by the pandemic, Rocket Lab is readying a host of upcoming launches from Launch Complex 1 on Māhia Peninsula of New Zealand North Island. Launch window for ‘The Owl’s Night Continues’, the first of three dedicated Electron launch booked by Earth Observation company Synspective to loft Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites, opens Jan 15. ‘Without Mission A Beat’, coordinated by rideshare management company Spaceflight, is to continue deployment of BlackSky constellation NET March. Blacksky is also set to launch with ISRO on SSLV-D2, 2nd demonstration flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle NET April. Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck has ambitious goals of deep space exploration and science including “Lunar flyby, L1/L2 points, low-Lunar orbit” utilizing Photon kick stage: CAPSTONE may lead Artemis armada NET March 19, pathfinding Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit to be used by Lunar Gateway and testing a navigation system that works with LRO. First Private Mission to Venus is to follow up on signs of phosphine (detected by MIT in 2020) from 48.3-km altitude. Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers mission with partners at University of California Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory will characterize magnetosphere of Mars NET 2024. (Image Credits: Rocket Lab)
