Two Seattle companies have won Pentagon contracts to develop nuclear-powered prototypes for space applications, with orbital demonstrations set for 2027.
The Defense Innovation Unit says Ultra Safe Nuclear Technologies has been tasked with demonstrating a chargeable, encapsulated nuclear radioisotope battery called EmberCore for propulsion and power applications in space.
Plutonium-powered radioisotope batteries have been in use for decades, going back to the Apollo era. For example, NASA’s Perseverance and Curiosity rovers are relying on such batteries to provide the heat and electricity for their operations on Mars.
EmberCore would provide 10 times as much power as those batteries, producing more than 1 million kilowatt-hours of energy using just a few pounds of fuel.
Another Seattle-based venture, Avalanche Energy, will receive backing from the Defense Innovation Unit to continue development of a compact fusion device known as Orbitron. The device, which is about the size of a lunchbox, would use electrostatic fields to trap ions in conjunction with a magnetron electron confinement system.
The resulting fusion reaction would produce energetic particles for generating either heat or electricity, which can power a high-efficiency propulsion system.
Financial details of the contracts were not released.
Tag: Space
Senators Introduce Legislation To Create Space National Guard Under Space Force
A bipartisan group of senators are calling for the creation of a Space National Guard, reviving a yearslong effort to place Air National Guard members working for the U.S. Space Force directly under the command of the military’s newest branch.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., introduced the Space National Guard Establishment Act on Wednesday to correct a misalignment that has about 1,000 National Guard members working on space missions within the Air Force rather than the Space Force. The Guard troops are in 16 Air National Guard units stationed across eight states and territories.
“Without a National Guard component for Space Force, we risk losing many talented individuals who want to keep serving their country and their states after they leave active duty, and that is simply unacceptable,” Feinstein said. “Creating a Space Force National Guard would also save money and ensure a smoother process in the event we need to activate personnel.”
The legislation matches a House bill introduced last year and follows a request by the Space Force to integrate its active duty and Reserve personnel into a single command structure.
UAFS Honors Space Force At Campus Ceremony
KNWA:
The Student Veterans Organization posted the Space Force flag at a ceremony on campus on February 9 in honor of the newest branch of the U.S. Military.
President and Treasurer James Moore says the ceremony is a big deal and is excited for the future of Space Force.
“I’m very excited to see what direction that they’ll be going in the future, as far as what addition to the protection of our satellites and communications,” said UAFS President and Treasurer of Student Veterans Organization James Moore.
China To Strengthen Space Governance Over Next Five Years – White Paper
China said it will strengthen its governance in space over the next five years to better protect its assets and interests, including the study of plans to build a near-earth object defence system and cooperation with other nations.
China will also strengthen space traffic control, improve its space debris monitoring system, and build an integrated space-ground space climate monitoring system, according to a white paper published by the Chinese government on Friday.
At the same time, China will seek to actively participate in the formulation of international rules on outer space under the framework of the United Nations, and work jointly with other countries to address the challenges in ensuring long-term sustainability of outer space activities.
China Says It Plans To Finish Space Station By End Of Year, Make More Than 40 Launches
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced the anticipated completion of its space station and more crewed space missions and cargo flights this year, as well as the launch of the Space Launch System, a 332-foot rocket designed to reach the moon, according to The Associated Press, citing Chinese state-run news media.
The Tiangong space station, first launched last April, is China’s rival to the International Space Station (ISS), which the U.S. had locked its adversary out of. Its completion this year will mark a major milestone for China’s military-run space programs.
‘We’re Falling Behind’: 2022 Seen As A Pivotal Lap In The Space Race With China
China is showing no sign of slowing its pace to surpass the U.S. and other powers in space transportation and exploration, say current and former officials and space industry experts.
“It’s becoming more and more clear how dominant China wants to be with regard to space and the space economy,” said Steve Kwast, a retired Air Force lieutenant general and space strategist. “They see the profit margin, they see the economic revenue stream and they see the national security implications.”
The competition will play out in myriad ways in 2022 that could ultimately determine which country seizes the upper hand.
See also: China Harvests Masses Of Data On Western Targets, Documents Show
China, Russia Set To Renew Cooperation Deal As Space Rivalry With US Escalates
China and Russia are expected to sign a new five-year agreement on space cooperation next year, state media said, as the two neighbours plan to team up in space in the intensifying competition with the United States.
Under the new deal, which is to come into effect in 2023 after the current agreement ends next year, the two sides plan to jointly build an international lunar research station by 2035.
Earlier this week, Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), told state broadcaster CCTV that the country would carry out three further missions to the moon in the next 10 years, including the Chang’e 8 moon landing mission, which aims to set up a lunar research station by around 2027.
If achieved, that would establish the research base eight years before the deal with Russia proposes to do so.
See also: China Says U.S. Has Lost Global Credibility, Urges Russia Alignment
Iran Launches Rocket Into Space As Nuclear Talks Continue
Iran has launched a satellite carrier rocket bearing three research devices into space, according to state media, as difficult negotiations over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers continue in Vienna.
The reports on Thursday did not say when the launch was conducted, nor what devices the carrier brought with it. It was unclear whether any of the objects entered orbit around the Earth.
This Space Force Birthday Cake Is Bleak And Empty, Much Like Space Itself
The newest branch of the American military just celebrated its second birthday with what may very well be the saddest cake in the history of warfare.
The cake in question was photographed at the U.S. Space Force’s congressional birthday event on Dec. 2. This no-frills pastry featured the Space Force’s seal – the Pentagon’s homage to the “Star Trek” universe – along with the words “Happy Birthday.”
Typically, military services feature an elaborate cake cutting ceremony as part of their birthday celebrations as a shoutout to their traditions and esprit de corps. As the youngest military branch, the Space Force is at somewhat of a disadvantage since its traditions date back to that seminal year of 2019.
Russia And China Are Attacking US Satellites With Lasers And Jammers ‘Every Day’ Says Top General
United States’ satellites are constantly under attack, and China may become the dominant space power by the end of the decade, according to a Space Force general.
“The threats are really growing and expanding every single day. And it’s really an evolution of activity that’s been happening for a long time,” General David Thompson, the Space Force’s first vice chief of space operations, told the Washington Post.
‘Irresponsible Act’: U.S. Raps Russia After Missile Strike On Its Own Satellite
The United States on Monday confirmed that a Russian anti-satellite missile test was responsible for causing a debris field in space that forced astronauts aboard the International Space Station to temporarily seek shelter.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters that Russia had “recklessly conducted a destructive satellite test of a direct ascent anti-satellite missile against one of its own satellites.”
China’s Historic Crewed Mission Arrives At New Space Station
CNN:
China’s three-person crew arrived at its new space stationSaturday morning — a major step for the country’s young space program, which is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most advanced.
Space Force Reveals Uniforms And Twitter Can Only See ‘Star Trek’ And ‘Battlestar Galactica’
The newest military branch, the U.S. Space Force, has released prototypes of uniforms for its Guardians.
The uniforms, revealed during a conference in Maryland on Tuesday, feature a dark navy coat, grey pants and six buttons, which are meant to symbolize Space Force being the sixth branch of the U.S. military, Gen. John Raymond told Military.com. In 2019, President Trump created the new branch, the first in seven decades.
Lt. Col. Alison Gonzalez, the Space Force deputy chief of strategy, was among two Guardians who modeled the new uniform.
“Guardians?” Is that for real what they’re going with?
The US Navy Utility Knife, Mark 2
One time at a shop on Camp Eggers, I bought an Operation Iraqi Freedom Ka-Bar. It was stamped Army, but the paint job had an aircraft carrier on it, and I was a carrier Sailor who spent a lot of time with Army units, and I always wanted a Ka-Bar, so I got it. Because they are presentation knives, a friend of mine got me a nice little stand for it. I eventually stripped the paint off the blade, blued it, and blackened the leather with shoe polish. I bought a black leather sheath for it at AG Russell. I used it as a field knife until it recently started looking like a boomerang.
Now that Ka-Bar is producing a US Space Force variant of their famous fighting knife, which is simultaneously a joke and a serious tool/weapon, I may get one. Although I prefer the Vietnam-style all-black look, as far as space knives go, the Space Force Ka-Bar is certainly better looking than the Case Astronaut Knife – and less expensive.
ArklahomBoy 