Plus: ispace picks a Japanese rocket
By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: problems for a NASA spacecraft reboost mission, China's growing SSA sector, Japan's ispace picks a Japanese rocket for its next lunar lander mission, and more.
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Top Stories
A spacecraft launched earlier this month to reboost the orbit of a NASA astrophysics mission has run into problems. Katalyst Space Technologies said Tuesday its Link spacecraft entered a multi-axis spin several days ago because of problems with its attitude control system. The company is working on regaining control of the spacecraft despite failures of two reaction wheels and only partial functionality of reaction control system thrusters. Link launched July 3 on a mission to attach to NASA's Swift gamma-ray observatory and raise its orbit before it reenters late this year or early next year. Katalyst said it is developing an alternative plan for the mission that will still allow it to carry out the reboost. [SpaceNews]
ESA is studying how it could repurpose an element it had been developing for the lunar Gateway. ESA issued an invitation to tender on Monday for studies examining the feasibility of the proposed Lunar Link repurposing mission. Lunar Link was to be a communications system for Gateway, but NASA announced earlier this year it was pausing work on the Gateway indefinitely to focus on a lunar base. The studies will examine the feasibility of turning Lunar Link into a standalone satellite to provide communications at the moon, complementing the agency's existing Moonlight program. [SpaceNews]
A Chinese startup has secured around $14 million to build a satellite constellation for tracking orbital objects, adding to China's growing SSA sector. Xingchen Daohe, also known as Stars Harmony, was reported to have secured nearly 100 million yuan ($14.8 million) last week. The funds will be used for the development, deployment and team-building for the Guanlan constellation, intended to provide continuous space-based monitoring and tracking of orbital objects to support collision avoidance, orbit optimization and space traffic management for both military and civil satellite operators. The finding is another sign of the growing Chinese SSA sector as multiple companies secure funding and advance work on SSA systems. [SpaceNews]
Fortastra, a Los Angeles startup focused on defending on-orbit infrastructure, is partnering with manufacturing specialist Hadrian. The companies announced Wednesday they will work together to see how Hadrian's expertise in manufacturing could be used to reduce spacecraft mass and accelerate production. The agreement calls for Fortastra and Hadrian to jointly evaluate ways to apply additive, subtractive, hybrid and emerging manufacturing approaches to Fortastra programs such as satellite buses. [SpaceNews]
Boeing says it is still talking with NASA about scheduling the next CST-100 Starliner mission. In an earnings call Tuesday, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said work to correct problems with Starliner is going "quite well" but that NASA was "replanning their launch sequence" for the program. Starliner has not flown since a crewed test flight two years ago that suffered propulsion system problems, and the next mission will be a cargo-only flight. NASA safety advisers said in June it could be up to a year before Starliner flies again. Boeing separately disclosed in an SEC filing Tuesday that it provided a loan guarantee to United Launch Alliance along with Lockheed Martin, which had disclosed its loan guarantee last week. Boeing and Lockheed have each guaranteed $500 million in loans to ULA, which is suffering financial challenges from the grounding of its Vulcan rocket. [SpaceNews]
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Other News
Japanese lunar lander company ispace will launch its next mission on the H3 rocket. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and ispace announced Tuesday a launch agreement for ispace's Mission 3 lander mission, scheduled for 2028. The first two ispace landers launched on Falcon 9, but the companies said the new arrangement creates Japan's first private lunar transportation system. The companies did not disclose financial terms of the launch contract, although ispace noted the weak Japanese yen has made foreign launch vehicles more expensive. The announcement came days after ispace's European subsidiary won a $74 million ESA contract to complete development of a small robotic rover called MAGPIE that will fly on ispace's Mission 4 lander in 2029. MAGPIE will study regolith conditions and prospect for water ice at the south polar region of the moon. [SpaceNews]
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is pausing preparations for its first launch. The company said Tuesday that an undisclosed issue found during testing of its RFA ONE rocket at SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands led it to decide to destack the rocket. The small launch vehicle was going through a series of tests that was to include a static-fire test before a launch attempt as soon as Aug. 10. RFA did not disclose how the issue might delay that launch attempt. [STV]
The German military is considering a dedicated launch facility. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit last week to launch company Isar Aerospace that he was considering whether the German military needed a site that would provide it with guaranteed launch access. Companies like Isar and RFA are launching outside the country at spaceports that, in some cases, are shared with other users. Pistorius did not state where that launch site should be located but said it could be outside of German territory. [European Spaceflight]
NASA expects to decide in the next three months roles for international partners in its lunar base initiative. During a visit to South Korea Wednesday, Carlos García-Galán, NASA's Moon Base program manager, said the agency was evaluating the capabilities and interests of Artemis Accords signatories for participating in the base's development. He said that within three months, "we want to determine the direction and a detailed timeline for which partner nations will take on which roles in each key area." García-Galán and other NASA officials were in the country to talk with South Korea's space agency about roles in the lunar base program. [Seoul Economic Daily]
Several members of Congress have purchased SpaceX stock, raising concerns about future conflicts of interest. House financial disclosures have revealed that at least six members have purchased between $83,000 and $245,000 in SpaceX stock since the company went public last month. The members are from both parties and include those who sit on committees that take up issues SpaceX is involved with. The stock purchases are legal, and in some cases involved a spouse or child of the member. However, some note that the purchases can create the appearance of a conflict of interest. [CNBC]
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