Starbridge Weekly Space Update for 3/27/2023

Portfolio News

Cosmic Shielding Corporation & Axiom

• Multifunctional shielding polymer demo in collaboration with Cosmic Shielding Corporation

Lynk

• Lynk Applauds the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Action on ALERT Parity Act

Orbital Sidekick & Xplore

• NRO signs agreements with commercial providers of hyperspectral imagery

SpaceX

• SpaceX pausing launches of new-generation Starlink satellites

• SpaceX is reportedly considering raising a multibillion-dollar round from Saudi and Emirati investors.

• Elon Musk denied that SpaceX is in talks to raise a new round of funding from Saudi and Emirati investors.

General Space News

• Just 1.5 years after NASA re-organized its human spaceflight program into two sections, the head of the Space Operations Mission Directorate, Kathy Lueders, is announcing her retirement from the Agency. Ken Bowersox will become the new head of SOMD. 

• The Horizontal take-off launch company Virgin Orbit is raising $200 million from investor Matthew Brown. The deal is expected to close as soon as Thursday. Brown seems to prefer launch companies because reported prior investments in SpaceX, Rocket Lab,  and Astra. Virgin Orbit is currently the only operational horizontal take-off launch platform regardless of what the seven horizontal-only spaceports may say.

• An external advisory group called on ESA to develop an independent human spaceflight program. One of the advisory group members said, 

“It is not fully certain, from my point of view, there will be a huge revolution, but the fact is, if there is a huge revolution, and let’s assume that the Americans and Chinese are betting on that huge revolution, then it’s going to be a huge problem if Europe is not part of that,” he said. “We don’t want to be left behind in terms of the economic and geostrategic implications.”

If the only justification for human spaceflight is the GEO strategic implications then it is hard to imagine the effort having the same vim and vigor that other countries have. SpaceX is on a quest to save humanity. China is on a quest to be a universal hegemonic superpower. Even UAE sees its mission as expanding its national identity across the Solar System. To be successful the EU needs a mission that goes far beyond simply keeping up with the Joneses. 

• Relativity’s first 3D-printed rocket launches successfully but fails to reach orbit. The vehicle did successfully transit through Max-Q and nominal booster shutdown but the second stage failed to light. The company had repeatedly defined success as simply making it through Max-Q in order to prove that 3D-printed rockets could actually handle the stresses of launch.

• A lunar lander by Japanese company ispace has entered orbit around the moon. It appears that the first commercial lunar lander to attempt a landing will be a Japanese company, not an American one.

• The first flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle with astronauts on board has slipped again. With yet another delay it is becoming difficult to see any path to profitability for Boeing’s space division beyond the cost-plus work on SLS. 

• Remote sensing companies best known for optical imagery are looking to expand into other sectors. “Everything is proceeding as we have foreseen.” 

 Other Space News

• A documentary about William Shatner will help support an initiative to fly private astronauts.

• Inflation and high demand are driving up launch prices

• Private equity firm ATL Partners has formed a new holding company called LightRidge Solutions to oversee a portfolio of space and airborne sensor businesses.

• ABL Space Systems won a $60 million contract from the military for demonstrations of tactically responsive space.

• The U.S. Air Force will use a contract with space manufacturing company Varda to test hypersonic technologies.

• Roscosmos says that China still plans to cooperate with Russia on human space exploration.

• Blue Origin said Friday that last September's New Shepard mishap was caused by a faulty engine nozzle.

• The United Arab Emirates has backed out of an agreement to fly a rover on a Chinese lunar lander.

• Spire and Momentus join Astra in receiving delisting warnings Friday.

• L3Harris Statement on Aerojet Rocketdyne Shareholder Vote | Business Wire

• Elon Musk on Twitter: "@teslaownersSV SpaceX will be ready to launch Starship in a few weeks, then launch timing depends on FAA license approval. Assuming that takes a few weeks, first launch attempt will be near end of third week of April, aka …" / Twitter (“aka 4/20” for those not in on the joke.)