| By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: Golden Dome's focus on affordability, an explanation for the H3 launch failure, Rheinmetall and OHB discuss partnership for German military satellites and more.
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The general in charge of the Golden Dome missile defense system said the success of the program depends on its affordability. Speaking at a conference Friday, Gen. Michael Guetlein said the program's central challenge is the economics of missile defense, specifically how the cost of each intercept limits how many interceptor shots the United States can afford. He said the "cost per kill" has to come down along with developing sufficient "magazine depth," a term that refers to the number of interceptors available to respond to an attack. Guetlein said what the Pentagon needs immediately from industry is the ability to scale production and deliver lower-cost ways to defeat missiles, including non-kinetic options. He added that details of the Golden Dome architecture will remain classified. [SpaceNews]
An H3 launch that failed last month suffered an anomaly during separation of its payload fairing. A report released last week by investigators said that there was an unusual shock during separation of the fairing that appeared to damage the Michibiki 5 satellite and its payload adapter. That caused the satellite to tilt to one side, forcing the adapter into the upper stage and damaging propellant lines. Pressure in the upper stage's liquid hydrogen tank started dropping, causing problems with the first of two burns of the stage and preventing the engine from reigniting for a second burn. Cameras mounted on the upper stage and other evidence indicate the satellite fell off the upper stage when the second stage separated from the first stage. The Japanese space agency JAXA is still investigating the root cause of the failure. [SpaceNews]
The Department of Energy will provide several hundred kilograms of nuclear fuel to NASA as part of a partnership between the two agencies on nuclear reactors for the moon. NASA and DOE announced earlier this month that they would work together on NASA's Fission Surface Power program, which seeks to develop a nuclear reactor that would be ready to send to the moon by the end of 2029. Under terms of the memorandum of understanding between the agencies, NASA will lead the program and provide funding, giving DOE access to data required to perform regulatory oversight of the program. DOE, besides providing that oversight and technical expertise, will deliver about 400 kilograms of uranium fuel called HALEU for use in ground tests and the flight reactor. NASA plans to develop the reactor in a public-private partnership with industry, but has yet to release a final call for proposals for the effort. [SpaceNews]
Another former astronaut is joining commercial space station developer Vast. The company announced Friday that Megan McArthur, who retired from NASA's astronaut corps last year after more than two decades, would become an astronaut adviser. She joins former NASA astronauts Andrew Feustel, Vast's lead astronaut, and Garrett Reisman, another adviser, while former JAXA astronaut Naoko Yamazaki is general manager of the company's Japanese subsidiary, Vast Japan. Vast is working on commercial space stations but announced recently its first, single-module station, Haven-1, would be delayed from later this year to the first quarter of 2027. [SpaceNews]
A startup plans to offer memorial services for cremated remains at much lower costs than competitors. Space Beyond announced last week it booked the launch for its first cubesat spacecraft on a SpaceX rideshare flight in 2027. The spacecraft will carry up to 1,000 symbolic portions of human or pet remains. The company is offering slots on that spacecraft for as little as $249, less than one-tenth of the price an established competitor, Celestis, charges for suborbital launches. The cubesat will remain in orbit for about five years. [SpaceNews]
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SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites Sunday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, putting 25 Starlink satellites into orbit. Footage of the rocket before liftoff showed what appeared to be several black hexagonal tiles on the rocket's payload fairing, which looked similar to those used on the company's Starship vehicle. SpaceX did not disclose why it placed the tiles on the rocket for this launch. [Noozhawk]
German defense contractor Rheinmetall is in talks with satellite manufacturer OHB to partner on a German military satellite constellation. The companies are discussing a joint bid on a constellation to provide communications services for the Germany military, which would be funded as part of Germany's plans to spend 35 billion euros on military space systems in the next five years. Rheinmetall, which had focused on armored vehicles and ammunition, is moving into the space sector, collaborating with Iceye last year for a synthetic aperture radar satellite system. [Financial Times]
The Artemis 2 astronauts have gone into quarantine ahead of a possible launch next month. NASA said late Friday that the four astronauts went into quarantine two weeks before the opening of the first launch period, a standard procedure to ensure they do not get sick ahead of the launch. NASA has provided few updates on the status of Artemis 2 launch preparations since rolling out SLS/Orion to the pad Jan. 17, including the status for a wet dress rehearsal that is one of the final major tests before launch. The Artemis 2 launch period runs from Feb. 6 to 11, with additional periods in early March and April. [NASA]
India is starting the process to procure the first module for its planned space station. The space agency ISRO has issued an expression of interest to industry regarding construction of the first module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, called BAS-01. The module would include a habitat for astronauts as well as a propulsion unit. ISRO plans to launch BAS-01 as soon as 2028, with completion of the station targeted for 2035. [News18.com]
An Australian who completed training as an astronaut is the country's person of the year. Katherine Bennell-Pegg was named Australian of the Year at a ceremony over the weekend as part of Australia Day ceremonies. Bennell-Pegg completed astronaut training with the European Space Agency in 2024 but is not part of the ESA astronaut corps and has not been assigned to a flight yet. She currently works for the Australian Space Agency. Ironically, another Australian did orbit the Earth last year: polar explorer Eric Philips was part of the Fram2 private astronaut mission on a SpaceX Crew Dragon last March. [AAP]
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