December 27, 2021 – January 9, 2022 / Vol 40, No 52 – Vol 41, No 1 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Small Launch Companies Aim for 2022 Low-Cost, High-Frequency Space Access

An industry-wide race is on to provide regular, customized orbital trajectories tailored to customer payload requirements at minimum price, with several new market entrants making bold moves: Astra Aerospace, headquartered at Naval Air Station Alameda on San Francisco Bay, is the first of the new crop to reach orbit with Rocket 3.3 from Pacific Spaceport Complex (Alaska) after a 6.5-year effort. Starting early in the new year, Astra is joining major industry forces SpaceX, ULA and Boeing in launching from CCSFS in Florida (SLC-46) with 5 cubesat payload ELaNA 41 under US$3.9M Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract – Relativity Space of Long Beach CA and Firefly of Austin TX also working on VCLSD launches from Vandenberg SFB with Terran 1 / Alpha in 2022. Future plans for Astra include higher payload capacity 4.0 / 5.0 possibly 3-stage vehicle iterations capable of reaching SSO and point-to-point delivery. BluShift of Maine is operating the first biofuel launch system, once-flown Stardust 1.0 (1,219 m), and hopes to launch Starless Rogue 10 km NET Q1 2022; 100 km by Q2 2022. Launcher of Hawthorne CA is approaching the space access market as a compliment to and improvement on SpaceX rideshare program with compatible Launcher Orbiter craft, filling gaps to achieve highly specific orbital needs NET Oct 2022. Deutsche Bank anticipates the $8B satellite launch market will grow to $38B by decade end. (Image Credits: Astra, BluShift, Launcher, Deutsche Bank)

MONDAY

Dec 27 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 66 Commander Anton Shkaplerov, Pyotr Dubrov, Mark Vande Hei, Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, Matthias Maurer welcome 2022 New Year 16 times while circling Earth; transferring Progress 79P & SpaceX CRS-24 cargo, planning 2 EVAs in Feb.

Dec 27 — Tiangong Space Station, ~370-km LEO: Shenzhou 13 crew Wang Yaping, Ye Guangfu, Zhai Zhigang planning 2 EVAs in New Year before scheduled return to Earth mid-April; 2 experiment-hosting modules, Mengtian and Wentian, launching 2022 to complete TSS.

New Year 2022 Opens Galaxy, Star, Interstellar Matters with AAS 239

Still early in the 2020s decade, the year ahead should bring first steps of a sustained lunar return, continue the promise of 2030 Human Mars missions, with Asteroid / Jupiter / Saturn and Solar System Complete exploration to follow. Beyond the Kuiper Belt – an Ad Astra Per Aspera focus on the Stars, starting at the near beginning of the Universe -13.5B years with James Webb Space Telescope to aspiring 2100 Interstellar missions, should catalyze troves of astronautical and astronomical advances which will educate, inform and inspire generations to come. Combining Earth, space, and lunar-based astrophysics, American Astronomical Society is holding its 239th Meeting January 9-13 in Salt Lake City, Utah and online. Hosted by (TL-BR) AAS President Paula Szkody with Historical Astronomy and High Energy Astrophysics Divisions, it will see Opening and Closing Receptions, Plenary Talks, Oral Scientific Sessions, 11 Town Halls, Splinter Sessions, 15 Workshops, iPosters and Press Conferences. Some of the topics include: Phosphine in the Skies of Venus by Jane Greaves of Cardiff University; Chasing Rainbows – The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer by Jennifer Marshall of CFHT; Radio Astrophysics & Cosmology from the Moon by Jack Burns of Univ CO – Boulder; 27 lectures under Session “The Milky Way, The Galactic Center”; a Climate Change Workshop; Special Session: Planetariums as Gateways to Astronomy Data and Culture; and Annie Jump Cannon Award Lecture: Planets are Places – Characterization of Other Worlds in the 2020s and Beyond by Laura Kreidberg of MPIA. (Image Credits: AAS, MPIA, CFHT, NASA, SpaceX, ILOA, SPC, ISRO)

Dec 27 — Mars: 4.5° N of Antares, 10:00.

Dec 27 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 AH: Near-Earth Flyby (0.030 AU)

Continued From…

Nov 4 – Jun 29 — Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Problems, NASA Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), Moscow, Russia: Mixed gender crew of 6 participating in 8-month space / lunar simulation mission SIRIUS-21 (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station).

Dec 6 – Jan 20 — STEAMSPACE, Enterprise in Space, Janet’s Planet, Online / Austin TX: Registration Open: Cities in Space Micro Challenge; 9 week challenge open to 3rd and 4th grade students, globally; free to participate.

TUESDAY

Dec 28 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston hosts Tom Olson for commercial space review for 2021.

Dec 28 — Moon: 5.2° NNE of Spica, 03:00.

Dec 28 — Mercury: 4.2° S of Venus, 20:00.

WEDNESDAY

Dec 29 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: In-flight event with KGW-TV from Portland, Oregon and Expedition 66 NASA Astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Kayla Barron, live coverage available.

Dec 29 — Aten Asteroid 2021 XZ5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.002 AU)

Dec 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2017 AE3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.025 AU)