Leidos’ Post

#NASA #PrivateAstronautission #MaxHaot #VastSpace #Axiom "WASHINGTON — Commercial space station developer Vast Space says it plans to bid on two future NASA private astronaut missions to the International Space Station, providing competition to Axiom Space. During a panel discussion at the Federal Aviation Administration Commercial Space Transportation Conference Feb. 21, Max Haot, chief executive of Vast, said his company would bid on the fifth and sixth private astronaut missions, or PAMs, that NASA offers to companies seeking to flying commercial missions to the ISS. “From our point of view, it will make us a better space station builder, a better partner of NASA, and it will help us practice a lot of the disciplines we are building” for its future commercial stations, he said of Vast’s plan to bid on the missions. Axiom has been the only company selected by NASA for private missions to the station under a policy the agency rolled out in 2019. The company flew its Ax-1 mission to the station in April 2022, Ax-2 in May 2023 and the Ax-3 mission that concluded Feb. 9. NASA selected Axiom for a fourth PAM, Ax-4, scheduled for this fall. The company has previously expressed interest in bidding on future PAM opportunities. Axiom has been selected for most of those PAM opportunities with little or no competition. In a January 2023 source selection statement, NASA stated that it received proposals only from Axiom for the third and fourth PAM opportunities, which became Ax-3 and Ax-4. Axiom was previously identified as the sole bidder for the second PAM, Ax-2. Axiom says those missions have helped the company prepare for its commercial space station, beginning with modules it will install on the ISS starting in 2026. “The private astronaut missions are really this incredible learning opportunity both for the federal government and for Axiom,” said Jared Stout, vice president and chief of staff for government and external relations at Axiom, on the panel. “We learn how to operate these missions alongside NASA. We’re able to develop our customer pipelines on science and research.” During an earlier session of the panel, Michael Lopez-Alegria, a former NASA astronaut who commanded the Ax-1 and Ax-3 missions for Axiom, said the company had “learned a ton” since Ax-1 to Ax-3, working with NASA to tailor the training needed for the missions. “Ax-2 was much better and I think Ax-3 was even better.” Haot says Vast wants to reap similar benefits as it prepares for its station. “To be able to leverage the ISS and learn, and work closely with NASA, is really a key part of the transition” from the ISS to commercial stations." ..."

Can we go from creepy personal ads to vital space communication? Yep. So come for the "I hate men. At least most men. I am looking for the man who can change my opinion" and stay for a dive into NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration's winding down of its #TDRS constellation and how #SATCOM providers are going to fill in any communications gaps. https://lnkd.in/eQuzS2Yk

First implementation of new rules developed by WRC-23 under Agenda Item 1.17 The hours spent as chairman of this group trying to find a compromise were not in vain ;-)

“In 2025, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is scheduled to once again bring man and machine to the lunar surface, this time under the name of the Greek goddess Artemis. However, the means to the ends have changed. The new Artemis missions lean more heavily on the aid of private space companies than their predecessor Apollo missions1, with private enterprises developing the systems, stations, and vehicles to make the ten proposed Artemis missions a reality. Not only is NASA using private companies, but the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Space Force (USSF) also rely on private space innovation to varying degrees. Programs such as AFWERX and SpaceWERX have allowed the United States military to accelerate the development of cutting-edge technology and collaborate with dual-use space tech startups. In fact, the private space industry is projected to increase to more than US$1 trillion by 2040, attracting both private and public investment.2 With these rapid increases in funding and activity, private space companies can look to patents to protect their technologies. The United States patent system, in particular, anticipates some of the challenges that arise with inventions that are used in outer space”.

According to SpaceNews, the agencies signed an agreement last where NASA will provide throttable braking engines that will be used on a new descent stage being developed by ESA and radioisotope heating units (RHUs), which use heat from the decay of plutonium-238 to keep the spacecraft warm. The RHUs also require a launch from the United States on a vehicle NASA will procure. The NASA contributions replace components previously provided by Roscosmos before ESA halted cooperation when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. NASA's fiscal year 2025 budget proposal projected spending $339 million on the Rosalind Franklin mission through fiscal year 2029. The landing system for the rover is now being developed by ESA which awarded a contract worth 522 million euros ($566 million) to Thales Alenia Space to restart work on the mission. https://lnkd.in/eM6gWknc

Utah’s Spaceport 47G https://hubs.la/Q027P2Yk0 This award is presented to The Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity • Salt Lake City The University of Utah • Utah State Senate in honor of their exceptional contributions to the Utah Space Port Committee effort o1 1971 A Failed Dream BY ERIC G. SWEDIN In 1971, as the Apollo program was still putting astronauts on the moon, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) envisioned space travel and exploration in the future. Though many space enthusiasts hoped for a large space station or moon base, a reusable spacecraft called the space shuttle was projected as the next obvious step, because putting people and cargo into orbit with single-use booster rockets was very expensive. When budget cutters in the Nixon Administration cancelled the final three planned Apollo moon flights, NASA decided to build a winged booster vehicle and winged orbiter that could each be able to fly back to the ground for reuse, dramatically lowering launch costs. NASA wanted a “space truck” that could carry into orbit astronauts, satellites, sections of a space station, or sections of vehicles to be assembled in space in order to later take astronauts to Mars. 1 47G Utah Aerospace and Defense

As we look forward to Stardust Festival 2023, hoping you enjoy my SpaceNews Op-Ed | How Canada is Shaping the World’s Future in Space. As Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield said in a NASA preflight interview in 2012, “Canada has almost linearly built our capability and our responsibility, and therefore our international respect, over time.” The Canadian space sector adds $2.3 billion to Canadian GDP and employs 10,000 people, according to the Canadian government. The CSA’s Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) has a $150 million budget over five years. LEAP will support innovation in technical areas that are important for Artemis missions, but just as important, the program intentionally supports the commercialization of innovation. A special thank you to “There is another space race going on, one of which can set the norms of behavior in space,” said Charity Weeden a 23-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and currently Astroscale U.S.’s vice president for global space policy and government relations.” “Canada needs to be a good teammate, and that’s why Canada has been a consistent partner,” said Dr. Shawna Pandya, MD Director of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) Space Medicine Group “In Canada, there is a huge amount of great talent," said Jason Michaud founder of Ontario-based @Stardust Technologies. https://lnkd.in/gat3-s6V #NASA #Apollo #Artemis# #iss #partnership #NORAD #USAF #USNORTHCOM #RCAF #northamerica #CanadianDefenseMinister #earthobservation #spacesurveillance #satellitecommunications #JWST #humanspaceflight #spacemedicine #Canadarm3 #ArtemisAccords #Moon #astronauts #MDALTD Amy MacLeod Canadian Space Agency | Agence spatiale canadienne MDA