An uncertain launch schedule for Starliner, and SpaceX falls from its post-IPO highs
By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: a new report recommends space warfare guidelines, NASA included in quantum technologies executive order, Chinese spaceplane releases a satellite, and more.
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Top Stories
A report finds that the U.S. military needs a framework for responding to hostile acts in space. A study by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, based on a January workshop, found that conflict in space is more complex than workshop participants expected due to the nature of the domain and a "lack of policy clarity." Participants concluded that the United States is already engaged in a sustained "gray-zone" competition with China in space and must prepare for conflict beyond simply protecting its satellite networks. The report argues that Washington needs a broader range of military response options, clearer rules for responding to hostile actions in space and greater investment in capabilities for space superiority. [SpaceNews]
Rocket Lab performed an unannounced launch on short notice for a Space Force responsive space exercise. The Electron launch Friday at 6:19 a.m. Eastern was not announced in advance by the company or the Space Force and only confirmed on Monday, two days after a payload and upper stage from the launch appeared in a Space Force catalog. The launch took place less than 17 hours after the Space Force issued a formal launch order, beating the program's 24-hour requirement. The spacecraft launched by Rocket Lab, called Victus Haze Puma, is expected to conduct rendezvous and proximity operations with Jackal-004, a True Anomaly spacecraft already in orbit. [SpaceNews]
NASA and Boeing are still uncertain when the Starliner spacecraft will make its next flight. At a meeting Monday of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, members said that NASA and Boeing are continuing to work through technical problems from Starliner's last flight two years ago, as well as implementing organizational changes recommended by an independent report released in February. There is no scheduled launch date for Starliner-1, an uncrewed test flight that was previously expected to take place this year, and the panel's chair said the mission is now expected to launch sometime "in the next year or so." The panel said Boeing assured them of their commitment to the program, although NASA announced last month it plans to buy more SpaceX commercial crew flights because of Starliner delays. [SpaceNews]
A White House executive order on quantum technologies includes work for NASA. The "Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation" order, signed by President Trump Monday, gives NASA 120 days to submit a five-year plan for "developing and extending civilian quantum sensing and networking for space applications." The order also directs the Pentagon to identify at least three next-generation quantum sensor projects within 60 days to prioritize for fielding by September 2028. That order, and a separate one on quantum cryptography, came the same day as U.S.-based quantum technology firm Infleqtion announced America's Quantum Space Initiative, an industry coalition aiming to advance demonstrations to operational capability. [SpaceNews]
A Chinese spaceplane has released an object in orbit. Space surveillance firm LeoLabs said Monday that its radars tracked the release of an object from the Shenlong spaceplane earlier that day. The spaceplane has been in low Earth orbit since its launch in February on its fourth mission. The detection of the object follows a pattern of China's spaceplane releasing subsatellites after reaching orbit. The spaceplane's second and third orbital missions included the main spacecraft appearing to conduct rendezvous and proximity operations with the released objects. [SpaceNews]
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Other News
China launched a communications test satellite Monday. A Long March 7A rocket lifted off from the Wenchang spaceport at 10:10 p.m. Eastern and placed in orbit the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing 26A spacecraft. Chinese media said the satellite will be used for video and data communications and related testing. [Xinhua]
China appears to be working on reusable rockets seven meters in diameter. Procurement filings by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation show the company is obtaining equipment needed to make stainless steel components for rockets seven meters across. The moves correlate with a development recommendation circulated in May 2023, in which a presentation slide suggested developing rockets of 5 meters, 7 meters and 10 meters in diameter. The smallest and largest diameters correspond to the Long March 10 and Long March 9, respectively, but there has been no public discussion of a rocket seven meters in diameter, which would be similar to Blue Origin's New Glenn. [SpaceNews]
SpaceX shares fell Monday as the company announced plans to raise money through a bond sale. The company's shares closed Monday at $154.60, its lowest level since the company's IPO earlier this month. The company announced Monday it planned to raise $20 billion in a bond sale to pay off a bridge loan it took earlier this year. [Bloomberg]
Former NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy is joining the board of Gilmour Space. The Australian launch vehicle and satellite manufacturer announced Tuesday that Melroy, NASA's deputy administrator in the Biden administration and a former astronaut, was joining its board of directors. The company said they hoped Melroy would help the company as it seeks to expand internationally. Gilmour launched its first Eris rocket last year, which failed shortly after liftoff, and has not announced a date for its next launch attempt. [Gilmour Space]
An interstellar comet that passed through the solar system last year was extremely old. Observations by the James Webb Space Telescope, published Monday, showed that 3I/ATLAS formed about 12 billion years ago, or less than two billion years after the Big Bang. Scientists reached that conclusion based on the composition of the comet, including low amounts of a carbon isotope and presence of "semiheavy" water that forms in high-radiation regions common in the early universe. [Science]
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