Private Astronauts Near Launch as Crew Works Science, Spacewalks on Station

 

ISS - Expedition 67 Mission patch.

April 6, 2022

The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour sitting atop the Falcon 9 rocket has rolled out to launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour is counting down to a launch this weekend of the first private astronaut mission from Axiom Space to the International Space Station.

The Axiom Space-1 (Ax-1) crew is due to launch aboard Endeavour on Friday at 11:17 a.m. EDT. The Expedition 67 crew will welcome the Ax-1 crew when the hatches open from Endeavour to the station on Saturday around 9:30 a.m. Ax-1 Commander and former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, along with Pilot Larry Connor and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy, will live and work aboard the station for nine days performing contracted science experiments and commercial projects. At the end of their mission, they will undock inside Endeavour, reenter Earth’s atmosphere, and parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

Image above: The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Endeavour atop stands at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image Credit: SpaceX.

Meanwhile, the station’s seven residents continued researching psychology, combustion, and robotics aboard the orbiting lab on Wednesday. The orbital crew is also gearing up for a pair of spacewalks at the end of the month.

NASA Flight Engineer Raja Chari participated in a robotics test to evaluate his behavioral health and performance. Results may show how an astronaut could perform when landing on Mars and may also inform the design of future spacecraft and space habitats. NASA Flight Engineer Kayla Barron took acoustic measurements of the station’s habitable areas then donned a specialized radiation vest testing it for fit and comfort while working.

 International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: ESA

Commander Tom Marshburn opened up the Combustion Integrated Rack and configured the Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction study to investigate material flammability and ways to improve fire safety in space. Flight Engineer Matthias Maurer of ESA (European Space Agency) turned on an Astrobee robotic free-flyer and tested its ability to identify cargo using a radio frequency identification reader, which is similar to bar codes but uses wireless communication without needing a line of sight.

Cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev continued getting their Orlan spacesuits and tools ready for a pair of spacewalks later this month to outfit the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov explored future spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques then worked on Russian life support and electrical systems.

Related links:

Expedition 67: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition67/index.html

Behavioral health and performance: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7537

Specialized radiation vest: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7803

Combustion Integrated Rack: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=317

Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8266

Astrobee: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=1891

Radio frequency identification reader: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7722

Nauka multipurpose laboratory module: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/nauka/

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Hubble Probes Extreme Weather on Ultra-Hot Jupiters

 

NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.

April 6, 2022

In studying a unique class of ultra-hot exoplanets, NASA Hubble Space Telescope astronomers may be in the mood for dancing to the Calypso party song "Hot, Hot, Hot." That's because these bloated Jupiter-sized worlds are so precariously close to their parent star they are being roasted at seething temperatures above 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot enough to vaporize most metals, including titanium. They have the hottest planetary atmospheres ever seen.

Image above: Illustration of KELT-20b Credit: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI).

In two new papers, teams of Hubble astronomers are reporting on bizarre weather conditions on these sizzling worlds. It's raining vaporized rock on one planet, and another one has its upper atmosphere getting hotter rather than cooler because it is being "sunburned" by intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation from its star.

This research goes beyond simply finding weird and quirky planet atmospheres. Studying extreme weather gives astronomers better insights into the diversity, complexity, and exotic chemistry taking place in far-flung worlds across our galaxy.

"We still don't have a good understanding of weather in different planetary environments," said David Sing of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, co-author on two studies being reported. "When you look at Earth, all our weather predictions are still finely tuned to what we can measure. But when you go to a distant exoplanet, you have limited predictive powers because you haven't built a general theory about how everything in an atmosphere goes together and responds to extreme conditions. Even though you know the basic chemistry and physics, you don't know how it's going to manifest in complex ways."

In a paper in the April 7 journal Nature, astronomers describe Hubble observations of WASP-178b, located about 1,300 light-years away. On the daytime side the atmosphere is cloudless, and is enriched in silicon monoxide gas. Because one side of the planet permanently faces its star, the torrid atmosphere whips around to the nighttime side at super-hurricane speeds exceeding 2,000 miles per hour. On the dark side, the silicon monoxide may cool enough to condense into rock that rains out of clouds, but even at dawn and dusk, the planet is hot enough to vaporize rock. "We knew we had seen something really interesting with this silicon monoxide feature," said Josh Lothringer of the Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

In a paper published in the January 24 issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters, Guangwei Fu of the University of Maryland, College Park, reported on a super-hot Jupiter, KELT-20b, located about 400 light-years away. On this planet a blast of ultraviolet light from its parent star is creating a thermal layer in the atmosphere, much like Earth's stratosphere. "Until now we never knew how the host star affected a planet's atmosphere directly. There have been lots of theories, but now we have the first observational data," Fu said.

By comparison, on Earth, ozone in the atmosphere absorbs UV light and raises temperatures in a layer between 7 to 31 miles above Earth's surface. On KELT-20b the UV radiation from the star is heating metals in the atmosphere which makes for a very strong thermal inversion layer.

Evidence came from Hubble's detection of water in near-infrared observations, and from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope's detection of carbon monoxide. They radiate through the hot, transparent upper atmosphere that is produced by the inversion layer. This signature is unique from what astronomers see in the atmospheres of hot-Jupiters orbiting cooler stars, like our Sun. "The emission spectrum for KELT-20b is quite different from other hot-Jupiters," said Fu. "This is compelling evidence that planets don't live in isolation but are affected by their host star."

Though super-hot Jupiters are uninhabitable, this kind of research helps pave the way to better understanding the atmospheres of potentially inhabitable terrestrial planets. "If we can't figure out what's happening on super-hot Jupiters where we have reliable solid observational data, we're not going to have a chance to figure out what's happening in weaker spectra from observing terrestrial exoplanets," said Lothringer. "This is a test of our techniques that allows us to build a general understanding of physical properties such as cloud formation and atmospheric structure."

Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Animation Credit: NASA

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.

Related links:

NATURE: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04453-2

Astrophysical Journal Letters: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ac4968

Exoplanets: https://www.nasa.gov/content/the-search-for-life

Hubble Space Telescope: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Andrea Gianopoulos/STScI/Ray Villard/Johns Hopkins University/David Sing/Utah Valley University/Joshua Lothringer/University of Maryland/Guangwei Fu.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA Prepares for Next Artemis I Wet Dress Rehearsal Attempt

 

NASA - Artemis Exploration Mission 1 patch.

 

 April 6, 2022

Image above: NASA's Artemis 1 Space Launch System moon rocket is seen atop Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida during wet dress rehearsal test on April 4, 2022. Image Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky.

Teams are preparing for the next attempt to at the Artemis I  wet dress rehearsal, pending range availability and restoration of propellants and gases during the test. Through the past two test runs April 3 and 4, engineers accomplished several test objectives that will prepare the teams and integrated systems for launch:

- Configuring Launch Pad 39B and the mobile launcher for the test, just as it will have to be prepared for launch

- Clearing personnel and equipment from the launch pad after configuration in order to proceed with propellant loading

- Powering up Orion and the SLS rocket systems in launch configuration, including the solid rocket boosters, the core stage, and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage

- Checking out and verifying the Orion spacecraft countdown and commanding by flight controllers at NASA Johnson Space Flight in Houston

- Checking out the guidance, navigation and control system and all the integrated software that operates across the rocket, Orion, ground systems and ground support centers including the Launch Control Center

- Verifying and checking out all the range safety and systems with the range

- Draining the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen after the test

- Powering down the rocket, the spacecraft and ground systems and putting them in a safe configuration

All these activities are necessary for a successful launch or in the event launch controllers decide not to proceed with launch if a technical or weather issue arises during or prior to the countdown. Completing these objectives will allow the team to use the next test opportunity to focus on executing the remaining objectives during dynamic operations, such as loading the cryogenic propellant and working through the launch countdown.

Inspections after the second test showed the vent valve that prohibited the team from proceeding with loading liquid hydrogen was configured physically in a closed position, which prevented it from being commanded remotely to an open position. The valve positioning has since been corrected.

Teams were also able to demonstrate their ability to work through several issues, such as severe weather, delays in getting a gaseous nitrogen supply source provided by a commercial vendor up and running, and fixing systems like fans that did not perform as expected.

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the supporting ground system elements are all in excellent condition and in a configuration that supports the next opportunity.

Related articles:

Artemis I WDR Update: Go to Proceed for Tanking – Countdown Resumes
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/04/artemis-i-wdr-update-go-to-proceed-for.html

NASA ‘Go’ for Artemis I Wet Dress Rehearsal
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/03/nasa-go-for-artemis-i-wet-dress.html

Standing tall: Moon rocket milestone for Artemis
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/03/standing-tall-moon-rocket-milestone-for.html

NASA Readies Rocket for Artemis I Wet Dress Rehearsal
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/03/nasa-readies-rocket-for-artemis-i-wet.html

Related links:

Space Launch System (SLS): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

Orion spacecraft: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Image (mentioned), Text, Credit: NASA.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument Cooldown Continues

 

NASA / ESA / CSA-ASC - James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) patch.

April 6, 2022

“The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and other Webb instruments have been cooling by radiating their thermal energy into the dark of space for the bulk of the last three months. The near-infrared instruments will operate at about 34 to 39 kelvins, cooling passively. But MIRI’s detectors will need to get a lot colder still, to be able to detect longer wavelength photons. This is where the MIRI cryocooler comes in.

Image above: By necessity, MIRI’s detectors are built using a special formulation of Arsenic-doped Silicon (Si:As), which need to be at a temperature of less than 7 kelvins to operate properly. This temperature is not possible by passive means alone, so Webb carries a “cryocooler” that is dedicated to cooling MIRI’s detectors. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

“Over the last couple weeks, the cryocooler has been circulating cold helium gas past the MIRI optical bench, which will help cool it to about 15 kelvins. Soon, the cryocooler is about to experience the most challenging days of its mission. By operating cryogenic valves, the cryocooler will redirect the circulating helium gas and force it through a flow restriction. As the gas expands when exiting the restriction, it becomes colder, and can then bring the MIRI detectors to their cool operating temperature of below 7 kelvins. But first, the cryocooler must make it through the ‘pinch point’ – the transition through a range of temperatures near 15 kelvins, when the cryocooler’s ability to remove heat is at its lowest. Several time-critical valve and compressor operations will be performed in rapid succession, adjusted as indicated by MIRI cryocooler temperature and flow rate measurements. What is particularly challenging is that after the flow redirection, the cooling ability gets better as the temperature gets lower. On the flip side, if the cooling is not immediately achieved due to, for example, larger than modeled heat loads, MIRI will start warming.

“Once the cryocooler overcomes the remaining heat loads, it will settle into its lower-power steady science operation state for the rest of the mission. This pinch point event has been extensively practiced in the cryocooler testbed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which manages the MIRI cryocooler, as well as during Webb testing at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Johnson Space Center. Performing it on orbit will be supported by the operations team comprised of personnel from JPL, Goddard, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. The MIRI cryocooler was developed by Northrop Grumman Space Systems. MIRI was developed as a 50/50 partnership between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), with JPL leading the U.S. efforts and a multi-national consortium of European astronomical institutes contributing for ESA.”

– Konstantin Penanen and Bret Naylor, cryocooler specialists, NASA JPL

“MIRI stands out from Webb’s other instruments because it operates at much longer infrared wavelengths, compared to the other instruments that all begin with an ‘N’ for ‘near-infrared.’ MIRI will support the instrument suite to explore the infrared universe with depth and detail that are far beyond anything that has been available to astronomers to date.

“The imager promises to reveal astronomical targets ranging from nearby nebulae to distant interacting galaxies with a clarity and sensitivity far beyond what we’ve seen before. Our grasp on these glittering scientific treasures relies on MIRI being cooled to a temperature below the rest of the observatory, using its own dedicated refrigerator. Exoplanets at temperatures similar to Earth will shine most brightly in mid-infrared light. MIRI is therefore equipped with four coronagraphs, which have been carefully designed to detect such planets against the bright glare of their parent stars. The detailed colors of exo-giant planets (similar to our own Jupiter) can then be measured by MIRI’s two spectrometers to reveal chemical identities, abundances, and temperatures of the gases of their atmospheres (including water, ozone, methane, ammonia, and many more).

Image above: MIRI is inspected in the giant clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in 2012. Image Credits: NASA/Chris Gunn.

“Why so cold? MIRI’s state-of-the-art light sensitive detectors that are tuned to work in the mid-infrared are blind unless they are cooled below 7 kelvins (-266 degrees Celsius, or -447 degrees Fahrenheit). For contrast, a standard domestic freezer cools its contents to about 255 kelvins (-18 degrees Celsius, or -0.7 degrees Fahrenheit). At higher temperatures, any signal that may be detected from the sky is lost beneath the signal from its own internally generated ‘dark current.’ Even if the detectors are cooled, Webb images would still be swamped by the glow of thermal infrared light emitted by MIRI’s own mirrors and aluminum structure if they are to get warmer than 15 kelvins (-258 degrees Celsius, or -433 degrees Fahrenheit). The engineering solution was to stand MIRI off from the instrument mounting structure behind Webb’s primary mirror like a high-tech metal spider on six carbon fibre legs. These insulate MIRI from the much hotter telescope (where 45 kelvins, or -228 degrees Celsius/-379 degrees Fahrenheit, qualifies as hotter). The instrument’s body is also swathed in a shiny aluminum-coated thermal blanket, which reflects the radiant heat of its surroundings.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Animation Credit: NASA

“Getting this instrument cold is one of the last major challenges faced by Webb before the MIRI team can truly relax, and passing through the cooler’s ‘pinch point’ will be the most daunting step in this challenge. At that time, the cooler will have pulled out almost all of the heat left in MIRI’s 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of metal and glass from that tropical launch day morning, three months ago. MIRI will be the last of Webb’s four instruments to open its eyes on the universe.”

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Alistair Glasse, Webb-MIRI Instrument Scientist, UK Astronomy Technology Centre and Macarena Garcia Marin, MIRI Instrument and Calibration Scientist, ESA.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Blood Vessels, Vital Signs and Psychology Studies Amidst Spacewalk Preps

 

ISS - Expedition 67 Mission patch.

April 5, 2022

Human research and space physics comprised the majority of the science schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Expedition 67 crew members also worked on U.S. and Russian cargo ships while preparing for two spacewalks.

Vein and artery scans topped the day for Commander Tom Marshburn of NASA as he attached sensors to himself and operated an ultrasound scan to observe how microgravity is affecting his blood vessels and heart. Flight Engineer Matthias Maurer of ESA (European Space Agency) turned on the Bio-Monitor and connected it to a vest he wore that measured and recorded his vital signs while he was going about his daily activities aboard the station.

Image above: The ten-member Expedition 66 crew poses for a portrait aboard the International Space Station in March of 2022. Image Credit: NASA.

Maurer also joined NASA Flight Engineer Kayla Barron and took turns swapping out research furnaces inside the Materials Science Laboratory rack located in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. Barron then took a robotics test as part of a monthly psychological assessment to understand how living in space affects a crew member’s behavior and performance.

NASA Flight Engineer Raja Chari and Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev worked on cargo transfers in their respective cargo ships. Chari organized cargo inside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo ship after a morning of replacing components inside an oxygen generator. Artemyev updated the Russian inventory management system and collected items for disposal inside the ISS Progress 79 resupply ship.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA

Veteran cosmonaut Artemyev is also getting for the fourth spacewalk of his career currently targeted for April 18. He and first-time space-flyer Denis Matveev are collecting their spacewalk tools and configuring the Poisk module where they will exit in their Orlan spacesuits in less than two weeks. The duo is reviewing the procedures necessary to prepare the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module for Europe’s first station robotic arm. Cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov spent the day servicing air conditioning gear in the orbiting lab’s Russian segment.

Related links:

Expedition 67: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition67/index.html

Blood vessels and heart: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1664

Bio-Monitor: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=7392

Materials Science Laboratory: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=1854

U.S. Destiny laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/us-destiny-laboratory

Behavior and performance: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7537

Cygnus cargo ship: https://go.nasa.gov/3sVhFfN

Poisk module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/poisk-mini-research-module-2

Nauka multipurpose laboratory module: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/nauka/

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits:  NASA/Mark Garcia.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA Releases Breakthrough Forest Biomass-Carbon Product

 

ISS - Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) logo.

April 5, 2022

NASA’s GEDI mission has reached a major milestone with the release of its newest data product, which provides the first near-global estimate of aboveground forest biomass and the carbon it stores – filling a key gap in climate research.

The data enables research into how Earth’s forests are changing, what role they play in mitigating climate change, and the regional and global impacts of planting and cutting down trees.

Forest image. Image Credit: USGS

With the new data product from GEDI, the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation, ecosystem and climate researchers can quickly locate their regions of interest and study forest structure and carbon content with greater precision than in the past.

The new biomass product release comes as GEDI is within a one-year mission extension and represents the culmination of critical advancements in spaceborne lidar (a type of laser) research.

Counting carbon in Earth’s forests

GEDI is a high-resolution lidar instrument designed specifically to measure vegetation. From its vantage point aboard the International Space Station, GEDI rapidly bounces laser pulses off the trees and shrubs below to create detailed 3D maps of forests and land formations. The resulting data product, processed and gridded at a 1-km (0.39-square mile) resolution, allows researchers to study questions about forest ecosystems, animal habitats, carbon content, and climate change.

In its first three years in orbit, GEDI has captured billions of measurements between 51.6 degrees north and south latitudes (approximately the latitudes of London and the Falkland Islands, respectively).

The new data product combines data from GEDI with airborne and ground-based lidars to construct a global biomass map that reveals the amount of vegetation contained in an area.

“One big area of uncertainty is that we don’t know how much carbon is stored in the Earth’s forests,” said Ralph Dubayah, GEDI’s principal investigator and a professor of geographical sciences at the University of Maryland. Trees pull carbon from the atmosphere to fuel their growth. But scientists need to know how much carbon forests store so they can predict how much will be released by deforestation or wildfires.  Approximately half of plant biomass is composed of carbon.

Meet GEDI! The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation Sensor Aboard the ISS

Video above: The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) is a full-waveform lidar instrument that produces detailed observations of the three-dimensional structure of the Earth’s surface. GEDI precisely measures forest canopy height, canopy vertical structure, and surface elevation which enhances our understanding of global carbon and water cycle processes, biodiversity, and habitat. Image Credit: NASA.

GEDI’s new product is not the first global biomass product, but it is the first to include well-described uncertainty for its estimates using advanced statistical models. This means GEDI’s biomass estimates also come with a sense of how accurate those measurements are. “That is, for each 1-kilometer estimate of average biomass, the mission knows how confident that estimate is,” Dubayah said.

The GEDI team has compared their results to forest inventories from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data, and found that GEDI’s biomass estimates compared favorably to both. Cases where the GEDI product differed from the inventories highlight opportunities for further study and calibration.

“We can apply this framework to estimate biomass for entire countries – for example, many countries in the pan-tropical regions don’t have national forest inventories,” said John Armston, GEDI’s lead for validation and calibration and an associate research professor at the University of Maryland. “Now we have the means to provide an estimate of aboveground biomass with known uncertainty that can be used to support climate reporting and a broad range of applications.”

 Image Credit: NASA

In many countries of the world, Armston said, there is big interest in using GEDI to examine forest and woodland definitions for carbon monitoring, but also to characterize ecosystem structure for biodiversity assessments.

“Resolving the structure of different forest and woodland ecosystems with much more certainty will benefit, not only carbon stock estimation, but also our understanding of their ecological condition and the impact of different land management practices,” he said.

Laying a foundation for future missions

The team will continue to refine its biomass estimates going forward, and has extended the mission to January 2023, providing time to collect even more data. Additionally, the International Space Station recently adjusted its orbit from 262 miles (421 kilometers) above Earth’s surface to about 258 miles (417 kilometers). The lower orbit will allow GEDI to have more uniform coverage, meaning fewer gaps in its data from east to west, giving the mission a more complete view of Earth’s temperate and tropical forests.

“With GEDI being able to collect data all the way to 2023, we’re getting closer to collecting data at the same time as the next generation of lidar and radar missions – like NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR, launching in 2024),” said Laura Duncanson, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland and one of GEDI’s research scientists. “Eventually, the best products won’t just be based on GEDI, but on a combination of satellite data sources.”

Related links:

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): https://www.fao.org/home/en

U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis: https://www.fia.fs.fed.us/

New data product from GEDI: https://daac-news.ornl.gov/content/gedi-l4b-gridded-aboveground-biomass-density

Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI): https://gedi.umd.edu/

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, by Jessica Merzdorf Evans.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Amazon signs multibillion-dollar Project Kuiper launch contracts

 

Amazon Project Kuiper logo.

April 5, 2022

Image above: Amazon’s 83-launch deal includes 18 Ariane 6 launches, 12 to 27 New Glenn launches and 38 United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur. Image Credits: Arianespace/Blue Origin/ULA.

In the largest commercial launch deal ever, Amazon is purchasing up to 83 launches from Arianespace, Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance to deploy most of its 3,236-satellite Project Kuiper broadband megaconstellation, contracts worth several billion dollars.

Amazon announced April 5 the agreements to launch an unspecified number of satellites on Ariane 6, New Glenn and Vulcan Centaur rockets over five years. The launches are in addition to nine Atlas 5 launches it purchased from ULA a year ago. Amazon did not disclose financial terms but said it is spending billions of dollars on these contracts as part of the constellation’s $10 billion overall cost.

“Securing launch capacity from multiple providers has been a key part of our strategy from day one,” Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper at Amazon, said in a statement. “This approach reduces risk associated with launch vehicle stand-downs and supports competitive long-term pricing for Amazon.”

Amazon is buying 38 Vulcan launches from ULA. The agreement includes additional investments in launch infrastructure to support a higher flight rate, such as a dedicated launch platform for Vulcan launches of Kuiper satellites. ULA will make its own investments to support processing two launch vehicles in parallel.

“With a total of 47 launches between our Atlas and Vulcan vehicles, we are proud to launch the majority of this important constellation,” Tory Bruno, chief executive of ULA, said in a company statement. “Amazon’s investments in launch infrastructure and capability upgrades will benefit both commercial and government customers.”

The Arianespace deal includes 18 Ariane 6 launches, a contract that Stéphane Israël, chief executive of Arianespace, described in a statement as the largest contract in his company’s history. Blue Origin is selling 12 New Glenn launches with an option for 15 more.

Amazon declined to provide details about the launch agreements, including the number of satellites each vehicle will carry. Beyond Gravity, formerly known as RUAG Space, will build satellite dispensers for the Kuiper satellites at a new facility in Sweden.

The launches will take place over five years, but Amazon declined to state when the launches would begin. None of the three vehicles are currently in service, although both Ariane 6 and Vulcan are scheduled to make their first launches this year. Blue Origin has not announced a revised date for the inaugural New Glenn launch but noted at the Satellite 2022 conference in March that it would not take place this year.

Amazon did not disclose which vehicles it considered beyond the three it awarded contracts for. Notably absent is SpaceX, which in addition to its Falcon and Future Starship vehicles is developing its Starlink broadband constellation that will compete with Kuiper. “Amazon has talked to every major launch provider and they will continue to explore all options for future launch services,” a spokesperson representing Amazon told SpaceNews.

Amazon needs many launches quickly to meet requirements of its Federal Communications Commission license awarded in July 2020. That license requires Amazon to have half its satellites in orbit by July 2026 and the complete constellation in orbit three years later. The spokesperson representing Amazon told SpaceNews that the contracts keep the company “on track to meet deadlines set forth in the FCC license.”

Amazon has yet to launch any Kuiper satellites. Two prototype satellites are scheduled to launch later this year on ABL Space Systems’ RS1 small launch vehicle, which also has yet to make its first flight.

“These launch agreements reflect our incredible commitment and belief in Project Kuiper, and we’re proud to be working with such an impressive lineup of partners to deliver on our mission,” said Dave Limp, senior vice president for Amazon Devices and Services, in a statement.

Related articles:

Amazon Press Release:
Amazon Secures Up to 83 Launches from Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance for Project Kuiper
https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-secures-83-launches-arianespace-blue-origin-and-united

Blue Origin Press Release:
Amazon Selects Blue Origin’s New Glenn for up to 27 Project Kuiper Constellation Launches
https://www.blueorigin.com/news/amazon-selects-new-glenn-for-kuiper

Arianespace Press Release:
Arianespace signs unprecedented contract with Amazon for 18 Ariane 6 launches to deploy Project Kuiper constellation
https://www.arianespace.com/press-release/arianespace-signs-unprecedented-contract-with-amazon-for-18-ariane-6-launches-to-deploy-project-kuiper-constellation/

United Launch Alliance (ULA) Press Release:
Amazon Signs Contract with United Launch Alliance for 38 Project Kuiper Launches on Vulcan Centaur
https://www.ulalaunch.com/about/news/2022/04/05/amazon-signs-contract-with-united-launch-alliance-for-38-project-kuiper-launches-on-vulcan-centaur

Related links:

Blue Origin: https://www.blueorigin.com/

United Launch Alliance (ULA): https://www.ulalaunch.com/

Arianespace: https://www.arianespace.com/

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: Spacenews/Jeff Foust/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch