newspace international - … · 2020-05-06 · newspace international - may/june 2019 3 humanizing...

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#EDITOR #ROBOTS #LEARNING #MACHINES

Dr Amy Saunders

Editor

Technology is coming on in leaps and bounds right now,and the world is transforming into an entirely new place right

before our eyes. Today’s advances in robotics are astounding – and we can fullyexpect to see robotic digital assistants playing a role within the satellite sectorwithin the years to come – but what’s equally fascinating is the way that humansrespond to these robots.

Many of us will have seen the 2004 movie ‘I, Robot,’ in which protagonist WillSmith is inherently distrustful of robots after one rescued him from drowning overhis son (due to relative probabilities of survival), leading to the death of a smallchild. The film brought certain key issues in the field of psychology and robotics tothe forefront of our imaginations that have since been addressed in numerousexperiments and studies.

A recent experiment published in the PLOS ONE journal has shown that peopleare susceptible to social cues even when those cues come from robots, ratherthan other humans. Some 89 volunteers were recruited to complete tasks withthe help of a small humanoid robot called Nao. The volunteers were informedthat the tasks – which involved answering a series of either/or questions such as‘Do you prefer pasta or pizza?’ were designed to enhance Nao’s learning algorithms.

However, the real test came at the end of the study, when the volunteers wereasked to turn off Nao. In 43 of the experiments, Nao begged not to be turned off,a request which 13 volunteers complied with. The remaining 30 took about twiceas long to turn Nao off than those volunteers who it did not plead with. The 13participants who did not switch off Nao said they were surprised by the begging;were scared of doing something wrong; or, most commonly, reasoned that if Nao

didn’t want to be turned off, ‘who were they todisagree?’

The experiment brilliantly exampled a conceptmost of us are familiar with: ‘The Media Equation,’which claims that people tend to treat computersand other media as if they were real people. Youmight be able to recognise it in yourself, whenyou shout at a Smartphone, washing machine,or other inanimate device which isn’tperforming as you want it to. “Triggered by theobjection, people tend to treat the robot as areal person rather than just a machine following,or at least considering to follow, its request tostay switched on,” commented theexperiment’s authors.

While some have raised concerns aboutwhat this behaviour means for the future ofrobotics and their application in day-to-day life,others say that worries are unfounded: Humanbehaviour can and will adapt to treat machinesas machines as technology advances.


Letter from the Editor 3Humanizing technology

NewsBlast 6Key news from around the world

Human communities in Space 10Orion Span plans to build and sustain human communities in space,utilising technological innovations to reduce the cost of living in space byan order of magnitude above others.

Delivering connectivity in Space 12Kepler Communications was founded in 2015 by four students from theUniversity of Toronto with the goal of ‘building the Internet in space.’

Lunar exploration 16Exploring the stars with the hope of some day being able to build off-world settlements is a dream that has edged closer and closer to realityin recent decades, as the technologies that could allow us to embark onthese ambitious plans become increasingly advanced.

Front cover: Photo courtesy ofKepler

EditorAmy [email protected]

Marketing and BusinessBelinda [email protected]

Sales ManagerSam [email protected]

PublisherRichard [email protected]

Managing DirectorDavid [email protected]

No part of this publication maybe transmitted, reproduced orelectronically stored withoutthe written permission from thepublisher.

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CONTENTS

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Maxar teams with Dynetics

#NEWSBLAST #NEWSPACE #MAXAR #DYNETICS #MOON

on power and propulsionelement for Lunar GatewayMaxar Technologies has signed a teaming agreementwith Huntsville, Alabama-based Dynetics to supportMaxar in building and demonstrating the power andpropulsion element for the Gateway - an essentialcomponent of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration programand future expeditions to Mars. The teaming agreementestablishes a framework for the companies to worktogether on the mission, with substantive work beingexecuted by Dynetics in Huntsville, Alabama.

As recently announced, Maxar was selected by NASAto build and perform a spaceflight demonstration of thepower and propulsion element spacecraft. The spacecraftis the first element for the NASA-led lunar Gateway, whichwill play a critical role in ensuring that NASA astronautscan land on the surface of the Moon by 2024 while servingas a vital platform to support future missions to Mars andbeyond. The mission is targeted for launch by the end of2022 and will provide power, manoeuvring, attitudecontrol, communications systems and initial dockingcapabilities for the Gateway.

The agreement enables Dynetics to collaborate withMaxar in the design, manufacturing and operations ofMaxar’s power and propulsion element spacecraft.Dynetics has a wide range of capabilities to support Maxarin areas such as propulsion systems, mechanical andpropulsion testing, system integration and assembly, andmission operations.

“We’re thrilled to add Dynetics to our team and bringpower and propulsion element work to Huntsville.Dynetics has decades of expertise in human spaceexploration, and will play a critical role in executing theArtemis mission, landing the first woman on the surfaceof the Moon, and establishing the sustainable spaceinfrastructure that is necessary to explore Mars,” said MikeGold, Maxar’s Vice President of Civil Space.

“This is an exciting time for lunar exploration. We lookfor space partners that share our similar core values andare eager to see America return to the Moon. Maxar fillsthat role and Dynetics is glad to be on the team. Maxar’spower and propulsion element will be a vital element ofthe lunar Gateway and will aid establishment of asustainable presence on the Moon. We are lookingforward to this partnership and to participating in thedevelopment of the lunar architecture here in Huntsvilleon our campus and in Decatur, Alabama, at our AerospaceStructures Complex,” said Kim Doering, Dynetics vicepresident for space systems.

The operations of DigitalGlobe, SSL (Space SystemsLoral) and Radiant Solutions were unified under the Maxarbrand in February; MDA continues to operate as anindependent business unit within the Maxar organization.

President and CEOtestifies beforeCongressOn July 9, Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar, president and CEOof The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, testifiedbefore Congress at a hearing titled, “NASA ExplorationPlans: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going,”held by the Subcommittee on Aviation and Space. Thepurpose of the hearing was to honour the upcoming50th anniversary of the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration’s (NASA) Apollo 11 mission, the UnitedStates landing the first man on the Moon, and NASA’splans for future human spaceflight missions.

Within her testimony, Dittmar addressedfoundational lessons learned during Apollo, the currentgeopolitical objective of establishing US leadership inspace and the importance of adequate funding,acquisition reform and a diverse workforce to reachthe Moon and then Mars. As shared in her writtentestimony, Dittmar summarizes, “The Moon is not anend goal, but a beginning - a next step enabling themigration of technology, heavy industry, and humanityitself off the Earth and into the solar system at a scalethat is no longer constrained by a single planet, ouroriginal home. Nothing stimulates interest like trulygreat goals that require us to develop ourselves andadvance the human condition, as well as ourtechnology, in order to achieve them. Continuing thework begun with Apollo, returning to the Moon, andthen reaching for the horizon of Mars, is just such agoal.”

Other witnesses included: Dr. Christine Darden, DataAnalyst and Aerospace Engineer Researcher, NationalAeronautics and Space Administration; Mr. HomerHickam, Author, Rocket Boys; Mr. Gene Kranz, FlightDirector, Apollo 11; and Mr. Eric Stallmer, President,Commercial Spaceflight Federation.

To include your news in NewSpace Internationalmagazine please contact

Dr Amy [email protected]

Photo courtesy of NASA




https://www.satellite-evolution.com


Lockheed Martin and NASA successfullydemonstrate Orion launch abort system inflight test

#LOCKHEEDMARTIN #NASA #ORION #SPACECRAFT

The critical launch abort system for NASA's Orion spacecraft was put to its hardest test today, and it demonstrated itscapability to pull the crew module and future astronauts to safety during a launch if there is an emergency. LockheedMartin designed and built the launch abort system for the test and is also the prime contractor building the Orionspacecraft for NASA.

The Ascent Abort-2 flight test is a major test milestone that is enabling the safe passage of astronauts aboard Orionon the Artemis missions to the Moon and then Mars.

During the test this morning from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, the Orion launch abort system, with amock-up Orion capsule, was launched on a modified Peacekeeper missile. At 31,000 feet, or about six miles up, intothe flight, the on-board computers initiated the abort sequence. The launch abort motors, generating 400,000 poundsof thrust, then pulled the Orion capsule away from the rocket which was already travelling nearly 1,000 mph. Using itsattitude control motor, the abort system then reoriented itself and jettisoned the Orion capsule using its jettison motor.The total test took less than three minutes.

"The test flight performed perfectly, not to mention it was really exciting to watch," said Mike Hawes, Orion programmanager for Lockheed Martin Space. "Hopefully this will be the last time we see this launch abort system ever work,but this test brings confidence that if needed on future Orion missions, it will safely pull the crew module and astronautsaway from a life threatening event during launch."

The Orion launch abort system is the highest thrust and acceleration escape system ever developed and is the onlysystem of its kind in the world. It's a major system that makes the Orion exploration-class spaceship the safest spacecraftever built.

This is the second time the Orion launch abort system has been put to the test. The first flight test was in 2010simulating a static abort from the launch pad. AA-2 is the final test and demonstration of the full-up launch abortsystem.

NASA's Orion spacecraft for the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission to the Moon is being developed at the NASA KennedySpace Center and will soon head into environmental testing—all in preparation for a 2020 launch.

Photo courtesy of NASA



http://bit.ly/32KCQmR


#ORIONSPAN # HUMANCOMMUNITIES #TOURISM

Human communities inSpaceOrion Span plans to build and sustain humancommunities in space, utilising technologicalinnovations to reduce the cost of living inspace by an order of magnitude above others.The Aurora Station hotel may well be the firstcommercial tourist destination in spaceshould it meet its slated 2021 launch. FrankBunger, CEO at Orion Span, tells us moreabout the company’s incredibly ambitiousproject.

Frank Bunger, CEO at Orion Span

Question: Orion Span was launched relatively recentlywith some pretty lofty goals. What can you tell usabout the company’s founding and its vision for thefuture?Frank Bunger: When I was kid, there was a dream oflow-cost access to space driven by the Space Shuttleprogram, along with the International Space Station (ISS).While both programs are absolutely magnificentmarvels, neither have served to lower costs to accessspace. It took the likes of companies like SpaceX, BlueOrigin, and others, in the early 2000s, to commercializespace access to truly see costs start to go down.

Like many frontiers in human history, something bigand new starts off as being a governmentally fundedendeavour because there is simply no commercialmarket in which a private entity can flourish. As the initial

foothold is established, and government fundingwithdraws, commercialization takes over. And that’swhen things really get exciting.

That’s exactly what happened to rocket launch in theearly 2000s. At the time, everyone thought a commercialrocket launch company was completely nuts. They werewrong. The timing was spot on and these companiesare now worth billions of dollars. Today, we are in asimilar transition as the ISS approaches retirement and

Photo courtesy of Orion Span



#ORIONSPAN # HUMANCOMMUNITIES #TOURISM

commercialization must kick in to serve that market.

Question: Orion Span announced the first-ever luxuryspace hotel back in April 2018. Capable of hosting sixpeople at a time, including two crew members, thecompany will offer a once-in-a-lifetime astronautexperi- ence during a 12-day journey. The launch dateis slated for late 2021; can you provide an overview ofthe planned space hotel, and let us know what thecompany has achieved in the last year since theannouncement?Frank Bunger: In the last year, we’ve refined ourtechnology, hit a first funding milestone, completedwork on a virtual reality model of Aurora Station, andstarted to work on a ground/physical demonstration ofAurora Station.

Question: Just 72 hours after announcing the AuroraStation hotel, four months of reservations sold out.What can you tell us about the hotel’s reception afterthose first 72 hours, and your expectations once thestation is up and running?Frank Bunger: It was very optimistic and positive. Thereis clearly a tremendous public excitement and interestin all things related to space.

Question: What are the biggest challenges youforesee in developing the Aurora Station hotel, andhow will these be met?Frank Bunger: The biggest challenge I foresee isfunding. Because we are the first ones to propose amuch lower-cost solution to human presence in LEO,there is no benchmark against which to compare. Thiscan make some investors nervous. However, I shouldmention that we have no challenge winning them overafter we walk through our financial models.

Question: What can you tell us about the

communications capabilities that will be in place onboard the Aurora Station? How will visitorscommunicate with loved ones back on Earth, and howwill crew stay in touch with ground control?Frank Bunger: For guests, there will be high-speedInternet access. ‘High-speed Internet’ may seem trivial,but in space, you don’t take things for granted, andhaving a high-speed connection is more challengingthan it may seem.

Crew will stay in touch via standard ground to spacecommunications channels and methods that have beentried and validated for decades.

Question: Orion Span is one of the most imaginativecompanies in the NewSpace arena right now; what’syour assessment of the NewSpace movement as awhole, and the other sectors within it?Frank Bunger: The NewSpace movement is largelyfounded on the same principles that drove the mobiledevice revolution: Miniaturization and commoditizationof hardware. For example, a computer that used to bethe size of a room now fits into your pocket. Orion Spanis different than most of this movement, in that we arefocusing on the human experience and expansion intospace.

We do benefit from commoditization of hardware, butthat is not our main value proposition. I consider us tobe a platform for the movement as it stands today. Itfeeds into the growing low Earth orbit (LEO) commercialecosystem of which we intend to be a cornerstone.

Question: What are your expectations for Orion Spanand the Aurora Station in 2019-2020?Frank Bunger: We expect to demonstrate progress onsome of the technology we’re using to cut costsaggressively for construction of pressurized and human-rated spacecraft. The exact timing and release of this, Icannot yet reveal, but we are highly optimistic.

Photo courtesy of Orion Span



#KEPLER #INFRASTRUCTURE #CLYDESPACE #SATELLITES

Delivering connectivity in SpaceKepler Communications was founded in 2015by four students from the University ofToronto with the goal of ‘building the Internetin space.’ Providing real-time communicationswith other satellites, space stations, launchvehicles, habitats and other space-borneassets is an ambitious target, but one thatKepler is determined to meet. JeffreyOsborne, Co-Founder and VP BusinessDevelopment at Kepler Communicationsprovides an overview of the company’s plansand vision for the NewSpace arena.

Jeffrey Osborne, Co-Founder and VPBusiness Development

Image: KeplerQuestion: Let’s talk about Kepler Communications –What can you tell us about the company’s overallvision, and the technology that will see that visionbrought to life?Jeffrey Osborne: Kepler was born with the mission ofdelivering connectivity in space. What we identified wasa clear growth trend in the space market; countless newcompanies were coming online to launch large numbersof satellites to provide a variety of services. Thesecompanies were developing spacecraft for Earthobservation, connectivity, in-space services, orhabitations. All of these companies were foundationsfor the newspace economy, and it’s been our belief fromthe beginning that in-space infrastructure is a necessarypart of building the space economy. To that end, werecognized connectivity infrastructure as one of the mainneeds of future space economy, and so weendeavoured to create that infrastructure.

However, we also recognized pretty early on that wesimply could not get to this vision overnight, and thatwe needed an incremental and sustainable roadmap.We needed to develop technologies and deliverservices that solved terrestrial connectivity needs, allthe while building up our competency so we couldtackle this much bigger problem and opportunity of in-space connectivity. Currently, we are deliveringterrestrial wideband and soon-to-be narrowbandconnectivity services for terrestrial applications, but thisall comes with an eye towards our ultimate mission.

There is a lot of technology that will be needed toreach our mission. We have already built some of it butthere is still a lot more that is required. Our first twosatellites were built to demonstrate our high-capacitycommunications technology. We have been able topack more Mbps into a nanosatellite than anybody elseever before. We are using this currently to demonstrateour Global Data Service, which is a wideband satcomservice for customers that need to transport very largevolumes of delay-tolerant data. The next piece oftechnology will be demonstrated on our third satellite,launching later this year, which is geared towardsdelivering narrowband connectivity for a large numberof Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This technology willbe foundational in delivering our everywhereIOT productto connect IoT and other devices requiring small volumedata transfer.

Question: It’s been a busy couple of years for KeplerCommunications. Can you outline the key highlightsfrom the last 12 months?Jeffrey Osborne: The last 12 months have definitelybeen transformative; I’m confident the next 12 monthswill be even more exciting. Hopefully, I don’t forgetanything in this list.

· In 2018, we launched and commissioned our firsttwo spacecraft;

• We set up our first Ku-band ground station in Inuvik,Canada, as well as TT&C stations in Svalbard andNew Zealand;

• We shipped our first Global Data Service modemsto customers and began service trials;

• We secured US$16 million in Series A led byCostanoa Ventures with participation from oureverywhereIOT anchor customer Deutsch Bahn;

• We demonstrated communication with Phasor’selectrically steered flat panel antenna;

• We were awarded our FCC license;• Moved to a new facility three times the size of our

office at the time; and• Grew the team from 14 to 30 employees.

Question: The NewSpace sector is booming right now;what’s your assessment of all the next-generationdevelopments we’re seeing, and the opportunities forKepler Communications within it?Jeffrey Osborne: There are a couple things I’mparticularly interested in. Firstly, I’m interested to seehow the technology will evolve with flat panel antennas,though I think that is true for everyone. The price pointsthese antennas currently sit at is not mass-marketacceptable, for sure. There will need to be either (a)innovations, or (b) an identification of markets that arecomfortable with the higher price tags of these panels.We have certainly seen a few applications that fall intothe (b) category. There is some speculation in media thatflat panel antennas have to come down in price to havea chance, but I don’t think that’s true. Just because a




Rolls Royce is more expensive than a Honda Civicdoesn’t mean nobody will pay for a Rolls.

Secondly, I’m interested in seeing how things shapeout with GEO high throughput satellites (GEO-HTS).There is a sense of ‘sky is falling’ mentality right nowwith broadband prices (in fact, I think I’ve seen articles

entitled “The Sky is Falling”), and I’m curious where thingswill land. What’s interesting about the overall decline ofbroadband prices is that there are still geographies andapplications where that is not true. GEO-HTS have thischaracteristic where they still need to concentratebandwidth in target regions. So, even though prices maybe crashing in the Gulf of Mexico, there are other placeswhere that is not the case. Small satellites are reallyinteresting here. Because our development cycles areshorter, we are better able to provide coverage in those

smaller places that big GEOs inevitably leave behind. Itis like how when you go to repaint your bedroom, youprobably use a big roller for the majority of the work(that’s the GEO-HTS), but will also need to break out thepaint brush to get the edges and next to the baseboards(that’s the small satellites).

Question: In August 2018, it was announcedthat Clyde Space was contracted to buildand deploy Kepler Communications’ thirdnanosatellite, TARS. What can you tell usabout TARS, the mission, and progress todate?Jeffrey Osborne: Our third satellite, TARS, willprimarily be tasked with expanding upon theKu-band service offering of KIPP and CASE,while simultaneously providing a testingplatform for our future ubiquitous IoTconnectivity solution. To do this, we are addingon an S-band payload to TARS in addition tothe Ku-band payload from KIPP and CASE. The

S-band payload will be complemented with end-usermodules as well, and we plan to launch TARS in thelatter half of this year.

Question: Back in September 2018, Phasor and KeplerCommunications announced the first successful testsbetween Kepler’s first in-orbit LEO nanosatellite andPhasor’s wideband electronically-steered antenna.What can you tell us about the tests, and what theymean for the company going forwards?

We have been able to pack more Mbpsinto a nanosatellite than anybody else

ever before. We are using this currently todemonstrate our Global Data Service,which is a wideband satcom service...

Image: Kepler

NewSpaceMay.pmd 01/09/2019, 18:0713




Observing the Earth from space

Image: Kepler

Image: Kepler

Jeffrey Osborne: We have been really fortunate to workwith the team at Phasor for quite some time now. Thisdemo was the first trial between a LEO satellite and aflat panel electrically steerable antenna. As you canimagine, we were really excited to be a part of thedemonstration. This trial is setting the stage for the nextstage of connectivity when portable and low-profilemobile antennas meeting next-gen LEO constellations.

Their flat panel ground terminals are very small, light,low-profile and low-power consumption products thatuse software, instead of mechanical parts, to track andcommunicate with satellites. These are ideal for aero,maritime, land mobile (such as trains and connectedcars) and government. We demonstrated the ability toupload 20 Mbps and download 10 Mbps on Phasor’santenna.

The trend is very clear, we see the market movingtowards smaller user equipment in the near future forboth narrowband and broadband communications. Withlesser size and power consumption, and the power ofLEO’s reach and speed, you can expect tremendousimprovements in connectivity across a variety ofindustries.

Question: Towards the end of 2018, KeplerCommunications had raised US$16 million in a SeriesA round of funding, bringing the cumulative totalraised to date to US$21 million. What steps will thisnew funding enable Kepler Communications to take?Jeffrey Osborne: For the most part, we will be usingthe new capital to grow revenues, and to launch ourGEN1 constellation, which will be put into service by theend of 2020 and includes up to 15 additionalnanosatellites. The focus of our GEN1 constellation willbe on delivering our high-capacity and affordable GlobalData Service beyond the capabilities offered by our

technology demonstration satellites.

Question: What are Kepler Communications’ plans forthe rest of 2019 and beyond?Jeffrey Osborne: The beginning of 2019 is focused ondelivering TARS, as well as productizing our Global DataService. We are starting to move past doing early trialsof our service and more towards off-the-shelfavailability, which is an interesting and fun transition.After TARS is delivered, we will be switching ourattention to our GEN1 constellation, which will be ourfirst truly ‘service’ constellation. This looks like growingour headcount to 40, increasing our capabilities forspacecraft payload design and manufacturing, andimproving our ability to manage a constellation.

NewSpaceMay.pmd 01/09/2019, 18:0714



#SATELLITEVU #EARTHOBSERVATION #POLLUTION

http://bit.ly/297Mdms


#MOON #SPACE #WATER #MOONBASE #NASA #ESA

Lunar explorationExploring the stars with the hopeof some day being able to buildoff-world settlements is a dreamthat has edged closer and closerto reality in recent decades, asthe technologies that could allowus to embark on these ambitiousplans become increasinglyadvanced. Today, we stand at theprecipice of this possibility; lunarexploration missions are takinghuge steps forwards, and wecould well be looking at takingthe first steps towards settlementin the near future.

Image: PTScientists

Artist’s rendering Audi Lunar Quattro (ALQ) on the Moon

The Moon has fascinated humanity for eons now, aconstant presence in our lives from the day we are bornuntil the day we die. Despite orbiting the Earth at adistance of 384,400km, we have achieved someprogress, with 65 recorded Moon landings in the 1960s-1970s, including the first-time man set foot on the Moonwith the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

While interest in the Moon has never faded, thewillingness to take on the incredible costs of mannedlunar exploration ended in 1976. Unmanned missionshave continued in the decades since, with China, Japan,India, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA allcontinuing their efforts to better understand our closestcelestial body. In more recent years, commercialcompanies have been getting in on the action, withLuxSpace’s Manfred Memorial Moon Mission (4M)completing a lunar flyby in 2014.

Dreams of lunar settlements have occupied theminds of many over the decades, but the technologyhas never been adequately advanced to enable this nextstep. However, interest has peaked since the 2009discovery of water by the Moon Minerology Mapper (M3)on the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO)Chandrayaan-1, and new projects and plans forsettlement programmes are well underway amongstgovernments and commercial organisations alike.

NASA advances lunar exploration programmesNo overview of current lunar exploration programmescan be complete without a nod to NASA, which landedthe first man on the Moon back in 1969. The organisationcurrently has several key projects runningindependently of each other, including the Lunar OrbitalPlatform-Gateway, the Space Launch System, theCommercial Lunar Payload Services programme, andthe Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology.

Lunar Orbital Platform-GatewayThe Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOP-G) is NASA’sanswer to providing an outpost in orbit around the Moon,a huge achievement in its own right, but also as a

stepping-stone to Mars. LOP-G will be built incollaboration with International Space Station (ISS) andUS industry partners, with construction set to start in the2020s. The Gateway will include a power and propulsionelement, which is due for launch in 2022, as well ashabitation, logistics and airlock capabilities, which willbe launched in 2024.

LOP-G will measure a minimum of 55ft3, considerablysmaller than the ISS’s 388m3. Crew will be able to liveand work on LOP-G for 30-60 days at a time andparticipate in a variety of scientific and commercialactivities in the vicinity of the Moon, possibly includingmissions to the lunar surface. Whereas the ISS orbitssome 400km above the Earth, LOP-G will be launchedinto a highly elliptical near-rectilinear halo orbit, whichwill bring it within 1,500km of the Moon at closestapproach, and 70,000km at the furthest distance. Thisspecific orbit will keep LOP-G out of the Moon’s shadowat all times, enabling constant communications withEarth.

In October 2018, Lockheed Martin revealed its crewedlunar lander concept, and how it aligns with NASA’s LOP-G (video at https://bit.ly/2JgJOqr) and future Marsmissions. The single-stage, fully-reusable systemincorporates flight-proven technologies and systemsfrom NASA’s Orion spacecraft, and would accommodatefour crew and 2,000lb of cargo for a two-week stay onthe Moon before returning to LOP-G for re-fuelling andservicing.

“The Gateway is key to full, frequent and fastreusability of this lander,” said Tim Cichan, SpaceExploration Architect at Lockheed Martin Space.“Because this lander doesn’t have to endure thepunishment of re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, it can bere-flown many times over without needing significantand costly refurbishment. That’s a major advantage ofthe Gateway and of a modular, flexible, reusableapproach to deep space exploration.”

NASA has a whole host of requests out right now forthe LOP-G project, so we can expect a lot more news inthe coming months regarding habitat prototypes,

https://bit.ly/2JgJOqr




ALINA and team

Image: PTScientists

logistics modules, un-crewed utilization and operations,human lunar surface access, logistics as a scienceplatform, and a cislunar tug.

Space Launch SystemAccess to LOP-G will be enabled by NASA’s SpaceLaunch System (SLS) rocket, which, alongside the Oriondeep space shuttle and ground systems at KennedySpace Center, will also make up NASA’s ExplorationMission-1 (EM-1). The ‘most powerful rocket in the world’will travel 28,000 miles from Earth during a three-weekmission and will stay in space longer than any ship forastronauts has without docking to a space station.

The SLS rocket, designed for missions beyond lowEarth orbit (LEO) carrying crew or cargo to the Moon andbeyond, will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust duringlift-off and ascent to loft a vehicle weighing nearly sixmillion pounds to orbit. SLS will be propelled by a pairof five segment boosters and four RS-25 engines, anInterim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), and a servicemodule that will supply Orion’s main propulsion systemand power once it leaves Earth’s orbit.

Orion’s trip to the Moon will take several days; it willfly about 62 miles above the lunar surface and use theMoon’s gravitational force to propel itself into a newdeep retrograde orbit about 40,000 miles from theMoon. It will stay in that orbit for around six days to collectdata and allow mission controllers to assess theperformance of the spacecraft. For its return trip to Earth,Orion will do another close flyby that takes it within about60 miles of the Moon’s surface, and it will use anotherprecisely-timed engine firing of the service module inconjunction with the Moon’s gravity to accelerate backtoward Earth.

EM-1 is due for launch in June 2020, and the SLS

rocket will evolve from an initial configuration capableof sending more than 26 metric tons to the Moon, to afinal configuration that can send at least 45 metric tons.The project is reportedly developing on track, with theintertank, which houses critical electronics for the flightcomputers, completing its final avionics functionaltesting in October 2018.

Plans for the second SLS flight (EM-2), which will takecrew on a different trajectory using a powerfulexploration upper stage and test Orion’s critical systemswith humans aboard, are already well underway. InOctober 2018, LGS Innovations was selected to supportNASA’s EM-2 Optical Communications project, which willsee LGS provide an optical modem to enable broadbanddata communications to and from the Orion vehicle. Themodem, due for delivery later in 2019, will convert thedata generated on the Orion spacecraft to an opticalsignal, allowing it to be beamed from the vicinity of theMoon to a receiver on Earth. It will also be capable ofreceiving the optical signal from Earth and converting itto data for the spacecraft. LGS Innovations is also helpingNASA adopt laser communications for other missions,including the first free-space laser transmitter for theDeep Space Optical Communications project.

Commercial Lunar Payload ServicesIn one of NASA’s more recent lunar programmes, theassociation released a draft Request for Proposals forCommercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) in 2018,under which it intends to award multiple contracts forservices throughout the next decade. The first landerswill be hardware technology demonstrators, such ascryogenic fluid management, autonomous operationsand sensing, advanced avionics, in situ resourceutilization (ISRU), power generation, etc.




The competitive programme is expected to reducethe cost of lunar exploration and accelerate a roboticreturn to the Moon, sample returns, resourceprospecting, and promote innovations and commercialgrowth. Contract missions to the lunar surface areexpected to begin as early as 2019, and with a company’sfirst delivery by December 2021. According to recentreports, there are in excess of 30 ‘interested parties,’including major players such as Blue Origin, LockheedMartin, Moon Express, SpaceX, SSL, and United LaunchAlliance.

While NASA evaluates the lander proposals, it is alsoseeking payloads that can fly on these landers via aformal solicitation for ‘Lunar Surface Instrument andTechnology Payloads.’ NASA plans to select 8-12experiments this year with payload delivery between2020 and 2021.

Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling TechnologyNASA is also exploring new nuclear reactor powersystems, and in 2018 demonstrated a new nuclearreactor power system in partnership with theDepartment of Energy’s National Nuclear SecurityAdministration (NNSA): The Kilopower Reactor UsingStirling Technology (KRUSTY) could enable long-duration crewed missions to the Moon, Mars andbeyond.

The small, lightweight fission power system canprovide up to 10kW of electrical power continuously forat least 10 years; four Kilopower units would provideenough power to establish an outpost. The prototypepower system uses a solid, cast uranium-235 reactor

core. Passive sodium heat pipes transfer reactor heat tohigh-efficiency Stirling engines, which convert the heatto electricity.

The demonstration, which was conducted in fourphases, showed that KRUSTY is capable of creatingelectricity with fission power and is stable and safe, nomatter what environment it encounters. The first twophases, conducted without power, confirmed that eachcomponent of the system behaved as expected. Duringthe third phase, the team increased power to heat thecore incrementally before moving on to the final phase.The experiment culminated with a 28-hour, full-powertest that simulated a mission, including reactor start-up,ramp to full power, steady operation and shutdown.Throughout the experiment, the team simulated powerreduction, failed engines and failed heat pipes, showingthat the system could continue to operate andsuccessfully handle multiple failures.

The Kilopower project is developing missionconcepts and performing additional risk reductionactivities to prepare for a future flight demonstrationwhich could pave the way for future systems that powerhuman outposts on the Moon and Mars.

ESA plans simulated lunar habitat on EarthThe European Space Agency (ESA) also has its ownideas for lunar exploration projects as well as beingheavily involved in the LOP-G programme. The agency’smain focus for lunar exploration going forwards issustainability and in situ resource utilisation (ISRU), andfuture plans include a purchased ride on a commerciallander to deliver research equipment to the surface of

Crewed lunar landerImage courtesy of Lockheed Martin



the Moon. In terms of ISRU projects, ESA is looking intothe extraction and transformation of indigenous lunarmaterials into oxygen and water; the agency aims todemonstrate by 2025 that it is possible to produce wateror oxygen on the Moon.

Of course, ESA is also working on its Lunar Pathfinderprogramme. In April 2018, ESA signed a collaborationagreement with SSTL and Goonhilly Earth Station forCommercial Lunar Mission Support Services to developEuropean lunar telecommunications and navigationinfrastructure, including the delivery of payloads andnanosatellites to lunar orbit. The agreement includes theupgrade of Goonhilly Earth Station for commercial deepspace services and the development of the spacesegment with a Lunar Pathfinder mission. Thecooperation also encompasses the commercial andregulatory support to catalyse the lunar economy andprovide affordable access to the lunar environment, andultimately deep space. The partners are now jointlycommitted to the developing the Lunar Pathfinder spacesegment for a low cost ‘Ride and Phone Home’capability. The Lunar Pathfinder mission will offer a ticketto lunar orbit for payloads and nanosatellites on boardan SSTL lunar spacecraft, which will providecommunications data relay and navigation servicesbetween customer payloads and the Goonhilly DeepSpace ground station. Flight opportunities are expectedto commence in 2022.

In the same month, SSTL and Goonhilly signed anagreement with Astrobotic to collaborate on a roadmapof innovations to support organisations carrying outoperations on and around the Moon. Astrobotic willbegin delivering a regular manifest of unmannedpayload flights to the Moon starting in 2020. Many ofthe companies, governments, universities, and othernon-profit organisations operating payloads onAstrobotic’s Peregrine Lander will need sophisticatedcommunication relay services to reach until-nowprohibitive destinations on the Moon, including the farside. SSTL plans to service those needs with state-of-the-art data relay services. Goonhilly will receive SSTL’sdata relay and transmit data back to payload customerson Earth.

More recently in October 2018, ESA announced plansfor the ESA Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany,which will recreate the Moon’s surface on Earth. Thethree-part lunar analogue facility, known as Luna, willhelp Europe go farther in space by creating a test-bedfor tools and concepts, as well as a location for researchand a training ground for astronauts. ESA has identifieda lunar dust substitute, comprised of volcanic powderfrom eruptions from the nearby Eifel volcanic region,which will cover the 1,000m2 Luna area to create asimulated lunar habitat.

JAXA plans solo and joint expeditionsLike NASA and ESA, the Japan Aerospace ExplorationAgency (JAXA) is also keen to expand its lunarexploration achievements.

The agency is currently working on its Smart Landerfor Investigating Moon (SLIM) project, a lunar landerwhich will land wherever desired, rather than whereveris easy. The most recent reports state that launch isplanned for 2021. According to JAXA, the SLIM missionobjectives are; demonstration of the accurate lunarlanding techniques in a small explorer; and acceleration

of the study of the Moon and other planets using thelighter exploration system. Upon descent to the Moon,SLIM will recognize lunar craters by applying technologyfrom facial recognition systems and will determine itscurrent location from observation data collected by theSelenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE) lunarorbiter mission. SLIM aims to ‘soft land’ within 100m ofits target location.

JAXA’s SLIM programme received a boost late in 2017,when its SELENE mission discovered a large cavemeasuring 50km long and 100m wide beneath the lunarsurface, which could be turned into an exploration basefor astronauts. The cave, which is believed to be a lavatube created during volcanic activity some 3.5 billionyears ago, is reportedly structurally sound and maycontain ice or water deposits that could be used byhuman settlers. Such lava tubes have long beenconsidered ideal candidate locations for future lunarbases due to their stable thermal conditions and abilityto protect people and equipment from micrometeoritesand cosmic radiation.

In other news, JAXA also reportedly plans to teamup with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)to explore the Moon’s polar regions for water. TheMoon’s South pole is of particular interest since thecraters are in permanent shadow and may hold largereservoirs of ice.

News regarding either of the above two lunarmissions has been sparse throughput 2018 and 2019 –we look forward to receiving more reports in due course.

China prepares for lunar communicationsChina made a great leap in lunar exploration in May 2018with the launch of the Queqiao relay satellite to the farside of the Moon. The satellite is being prepared forcommunication between the Earth and China’s Chang’e4, which was launched at the end of 2018.

Direct communication between the landing site andEarth is impossible since it always faces away from Earth,thus the 400kg Queqiao satellite will relay data betweenChina’s rover and mission control. Queqiao is equippedwith a 4.2m antenna which will communicate withChang’e 4 over X-band and transmit data to Earth in S-band. The mission’s landing module will carry a lowfrequency radio spectrometer developed by Chinesescientists for astrophysics research. Meanwhile, aneutron and dosimetry instrument developed byGermany will measure radiation level data that couldbe useful in planning human exploration, study solaractivity, and gauging the underground water content inthe Von Karman crater, located in the Moon’s SouthPole-Aitken basin.

Chang’e 4 will feature a ground-penetrating radar tostudy geologic layers under the landing site, and a visibleand near-infrared spectrometer to gather data on soilcomposition. A Swedish-developed instrument willstudy the interaction between the solar wind and thelunar surface, which is not shielded by an atmospherefrom the bombardment of charged particles from theSun. Chang’e 4 will also deliver a student-designedcarrier containing potato seeds and silkworm eggs.University students and scientists will monitor thegrowth of the organisms, which will be housed inside achamber and fed natural light and nutrients.

Chang’e 4, widely considered as a test mission, willbe followed up by the launch of Chang’e 5 in 2019,




China’s first sample return mission. Chang’e 5 is expectedto return at least 2kg of lunar soil and rock back to Earth.Successful completion of this mission will see the 2020launch of follow-on mission Chang’e 6.

SSTL announces lunar satellite planSSTL, too, is getting in on the lunar action. In November2018, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd announced that itwas designing a low-cost 35kg lunar communicationssatellite mission called DOT-4, which is expected tolaunch in 2021. DOT-4 will act as a communications relayback to Earth using the Goonhilly Deep Space Networkand will link up with a rover on the surface of the Moon.SSTL is currently in discussions with several parties forthe lunar mission.

DoT-4 will be the pre-cursor mission for a larger lunarcommunications satellite to follow in 2023, which willcarry a more robust payload and, potentially, navigationservices. SSTL’s ultimate aim is to launch a fullconstellation of lunar communications satellites offeringfull-service capability to enable new and regularopportunities for science and exploration and economicdevelopment of the space environment beyond Earth’sorbit.

“DoT-4 will prove technologies in the lunarenvironment and enable testing of radio

communications with landers and rovers on the Moon’ssurface too,” said Gary Lay, SSTL’s Director of Navigationand Exploration. “During the test phase, we will assessthe compatibility of our proximity communications withthe surface assets and we will verify the Earthcommunication link with several ground stations. Thissmall step will establish an infrastructure around theMoon to enable others to explore beyond Earth’s orbit.”

Moon Express expands in the frozen NorthMoon Express was launched in 2010 to ‘define possible’by returning to the Moon and unlocking its mysteriesfor the benefit of humanity. The company plans to offercommercial lunar robotic transportation and dataservices with a long-term goal of mining the Moon forresources, including rare Earth elements. Moon Expresswas, notably, the first private company to receiveFederal Aviation Administration approval for acommercial space mission beyond Earth’s orbit underthe requirements of the Outer Space Treaty.

In July 2017, Moon Express and the International LunarObservatory Association (ILOA) announced acollaboration for the delivery of the first InternationalLunar Observatory to the South Pole (ILO-1) of the Moonin 2019 – something to look forward to this year. MoonExpress has been contracted by ILOA to develop


A virtual reality rendering of what the Luna facility at ESA'sAstronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, might look like once

constructed. Credit ESA



advanced landing technologies supporting the mission.The ILO-1 astrophysical observatory and researchstation will be the world’s first instrument to image theMilky Way Galaxy and to conduct internationalastrophysical observations and communications fromthe lunar surface. The ILO-1 will land on a ‘peak of eternallight’ at the lunar South Pole by a Moon Express roboticexplorer system. The primary landing site under analysisis Malapert Mountain, a 5km tall peak in the Aitken Basinregion that is bathed in sunlight most of the time andhas 24/7 direct line of sight to Earth as well as toShackleton Crater for communications. Moon Expresswill utilize the mission to explore the Moon’s South Polefor mineral resources and water.

More recently in October 2018, Moon Express hasmade some developments in Canada, signing aMemorandum of Understanding with the CanadianSpace Agency (CSA) to explore options for collaborationwith the CSA and Canada’s space sector on technologiesand payloads for missions to the Moon. Under theagreement, the CSA and Moon Express will explore thepossibilities of using Moon Express lunar orbiter andlander systems for potential CSA payloads and willpromote possibilities for collaboration between MoonExpress and the Canadian space industry and academia.

In the same month, Moon Express Canada wascreated to leverage Canadian space science andtechnology in the exploration of the Moon and itsresources. The head office will be established in Ontario.Moon Express has also signed collaboration agreementswith a number of Canadian industry and academicpartners, including Canadensys Aerospace Corporation,Ontario Deltion Innovations, Gedex Systems Inc., MissionControl Space Services, Inc., NGC Aerospace,TeledyneOptech and Ontario University of Guelph.

PTScientists head to the Moon this yearFounded in 2009, PTScientists wants to bring down thecost of lunar exploration and science to enable a greaterrange of participants from across the globe. As well aspartnering with established entities to collaborate onnew space exploration projects, PTScientists is alsodeveloping its own programme. Some 50 years afterhumans first stepped on the Moon, PTScientists plantsto undertake the world’s first private mission to land onthe Moon in the second half of 2019 when ‘Mission tothe Moon,’ a robotic space exploration mission, willreturn to the landing site of Apollo 17.

Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Missionto the Moon will see the Autonomous Landing andNavigation Module (ALINA) transport a pair of lunarrovers developed by Audi to the Moon, live broadcastingusing chip technologies from Infineon, the first HDimages from NASA’s Apollo 17 landing site and theApollo 17 roving vehicle, last used in 1972. The Moon’sfirst 4G LTE network, developed by Vodafone andPTScientists, will communicate data from the Audi lunarquattro rovers to ALINA, which will then transmit all databack to Earth. Vodafone’s network expertise will be usedto set up the Moon’s first 4G network, while partnerNokia, through Nokia Bell Labs, will create a space-grade Ultra Compact Network that will be the lightestever developed - weighing less than 1kg.

Vodafone testing indicates that the base stationshould be able to broadcast 4G using the 1800MHz bandand send back the first-ever live HD video feed of the

Moon’s surface, which will be broadcast to a globalaudience via a deep space link that interconnects withthe PTScientists server in the Mission Control Centre inBerlin. A 4G network is highly energy efficient comparedto analogue radio, which will be crucial to Mission to theMoon and is the first step to building communicationsinfrastructure for future missions.

Bigelow Aerospace aims for lunar orbiting hotelThe idea of hotels in space is as old as the idea of spacetravel itself. Hundreds, if not thousands, of sciencefictions novels have featured space-based hotels, eithersituated on distant planets, or orbiting celestial bodies.The concept of the Lunar Hilton has been floatingaround our collective consciousness since 1967, but it’syet to progress beyond a fanciful idea. However, somecompanies are now making real, solid advancements inthe development of commercial space habitats…

Bigelow Aerospace is arguably the world’s firstserious contender in the space tourism sector. Foundedin 1998, Bigelow Aerospace develops and manufacturesexpandable space station modules, and is the onlycompany commercializing NASA expandable moduletechnologies. Bigelow aims to build a modular set ofspace habitats to create standalone or expandingexisting space stations. The inflatable modules areexpected to be more durable than rigid modules due tothe use of Vectran, a material twice as strong as Kevlar,and because the flexible walls are theoretically morelikely to withstand micrometeoroid impacts better thanrigid walls. Under the Genesis programme, Bigelow hasdemonstrated the viability of expandable habitattechnology in space. Genesis I, Bigelow’s first operationalspacecraft, was launched into orbit in 2006, whileGenesis II was launched in 2007; both remain in orbittoday and observations are ongoing. Meanwhile, in 2012,NASA signed a US$17.8 million contract with Bigelow todevelop the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module(BEAM), which was attached to the ISS in 2016, where itremains today.

Bigelow is currently developing the B330 standalonecommercial space station for operation in LEO, cislunarspace and beyond. A single B330 is comparable to onethird of the current pressurized volume of the entireInternational Space Station. Bigelow Aerospace isdeveloping two B330 commercial space station habitatsthat will be ready for launch any time after 2020. Indeed,at the end of 2017, Bigelow and United Launch Alliance(ULA) announced plans to launch a B330 module onULA’s Vulcan launch vehicle, placing it into low lunarorbit (LLO) by the end of 2022 to serve as a lunar depot.

The B330 will launch to LEO on a Vulcan 562configuration rocket, the only commercial launch vehiclein development today with sufficient performance anda large enough payload fairing to carry the habitat. Oncein orbit, Bigelow will outfit the habitat and demonstrateit is working properly. When fully-operational, ULA’sdistributed lift capability will be used to send the B330to lunar orbit. Distributed lift will also utilize two moreVulcan ACES launches, each carrying 35t of cryogenicpropellant to LEO. In LEO, all the cryogenic propellantwill be transferred to one of the Advanced CryogenicEvolved Stage (ACES). The full ACES would thenrendezvous with the B330 and perform multiplemanoeuvres to deliver the B330 to its final position inLLO.




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