The Space Launch System rocket fairing with ESA and NASA logos on the launchpad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The new ESA logo and NASA’s ‘worm’ logo will be along for the ride on the first full mission of the powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. (Credit: NASA)
by Douglas Messier Managing Editor
Of the six launches known to be scheduled to close out August, there’s only one – Artemis I — that truly matters in any real sense. The others will be duly recorded but little remembered in what could be the busiest launch year in human history.
Artemis I rocket rolls out to the launch pad for a wet dress rehearsal on June 6, 2022. (Credit: NASA)
The Wikipedia orbital launch page lists six launches to close out August. The big one, of course, is NASA’s Artemis I mission next Monday. The others, not so momentous but still worth listing.
Disclaimer: This schedule is subject to change without notice. Parabolic Arc takes no responsibility for delays, changes, additions or what have you. And, as always, no wagering.
Tuesday, August 23
Launch Vehicle: Long March 11 Launch Site: Xichang Satellite Launch Center Launch Company: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) Payload: TBA
Wednesday, August 24
Launch Vehicle: Long March 2D Launch Site: Taiyuan Xichang Satellite Launch Center Launch Company: CASC Payload: TBA
Saturday, August 27
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 Launch Site: Vandenberg Space Force Base Launch Company: SpaceX Payloads: 46 Starlink broadband satellites Webcast: www.spacex.com
Sunday, August 28
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Launch Company: SpaceX Payloads: 53 Starlink broadband satellites Webcast: www.spacex.com
Monday, August 29
Launch Vehicle: Space Launch System Block 1 Launch Site: Kennedy LC-39B Launch Window: 8:33-10:33 a.m. EDT (12:33-14:33 UTC) Launching Agency: NASA Payloads: Orion spacecraft and 10 secondary payloads Webcast: www.nasa.gov
Artemis I Secondary Payloads
Satellite
Organization
Orbit
Purpose
ArgoMoon
Italian Space Agency
Heliocentric
Spacecraft will demonstrate capacity of CubeSats to conduct precise maneuvers in deep space by providing detailed images of the SLS’s Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage
BioSentinel
NASA
Heliocentric
Spacecraft will use budding yeast to detect, measure, and compare the impact of deep space radiation on DNA repair
CuSP
NASA
Heliocentric
Space weather measurements
EQUULEUS
University of Tokyo
Earth-moon L2
6U CubeSat will measure the distribution of plasma around Earth
LunaH-Map
NASA
Selenocentric
Lunar polar orbiter will search for evidence of frozen water deposits
Lunar IceCube
NASA
Selenocentric
Lunar orbiter will search for frozen water deposits
LunIR
Lockheed Martin Space
Heliocentric
Demonstration technology to collect surface spectroscopy and thermography
Near-Earth Asteroid Scout
NASA
Heliocentric
Technology demonstration of solar sail to rendezvous with asteroid
3 satellites equipped with Pale Blue’s thrusters. (Credit: Pale Blue)
Pale Blue Inc. (“Pale Blue”) will exhibit at the Small Satellite Conference 2022 (August 6 – 11 at Utah State University)
Dr. Asakawa (CEO) will speak at the technical presentation, held on Wednesday, August 10th
Pale Blue (booth number 49) will showcase water-based hybrid thruster for small satellites planned for the world-first space demonstration
LOGAN, Utah — Pale Blue will showcase a 100kg-satellite mockup equipped with the water resistojet for the first time. Furthermore, this exhibit will feature the world’s first Multiple Water Propulsion Systems, which is scheduled to be demonstrated in space for the first time by JAXA’s Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-3 by March 2023, and the Water Resistojet for small satellites that features high thrust.
PARIS (ESA PR) — Engineers have connected Japan and Europe via space-enabled next-generation 5G telecommunication links. It is the first time that such an intercontinental connection has been established between Europe and Japan.
Next-generation 5G technology is poised to provide fast and high-volume data connectivity to fuel the digital transformation of society. When people and objects are travelling internationally on aircraft or ships, telecommunications satellites will play a crucial role in keeping them connected. International connectivity – for example, between a localised 5G network in a company’s head office and those in its subsidiary offices around the globe – could also use satellites for communication.
Members of the EQUULEUS (EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft) team prepare their CubeSat to be loaded in the Space Launch System’s Orion stage adapter for launch on the Artemis I mission. This CubeSat, developed jointly by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the University of Tokyo, will help scientists understand the radiation environment in the region of space around Earth called the plasmasphere. (Credit: NASA)
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — Two additional secondary payloads that will travel to deep space on Artemis I, the first flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, are ready for launch.
Astronaut Naoko Yamazaki serving as the project ambassador
TOKYO and HOKKAIDO, Japan (Space BD PR) – Clark Memorial International High School (Clark International), Space BD Inc., and the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Engineering announced the start of a new education project, called the Space Education Project, focusing on satellite development. Under this project, the three organizations aim to foster leaders for our future society. The Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki is also involved as the project ambassador.
Asteroid Ryugu photographed by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft. (Credit: JAXA)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Rikkyo University The University of Tokyo Kochi University Chiba Institute of Technology Maebashi Institute of Technology Hokkaido University of Education Nagoya University
TOKYO (JAXA PR) — Research results from the exploration of Ryugu by the asteroid explorer, Hayabusa2, have been published in the British online journal, Nature Astronomy, on May 24, 2021 (May 25 JST). Assistant Professor Naoya Sakatani (Rikkyo University) from the Hayabusa2 science team is the lead author in this research.
StriX-α synthetic aperture radar image of South Florida on February 8th, 2021 around 12:00 (Japan time). (Credit: Synspective)
TOKYO (JAXA PR) — It has been said that it is difficult to reduce the size and weight of satellite-mounted synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology, which has been a major technical issue.
At JAXA, based on the SAR technology accumulated in the Earth observation projects so far, the results started from the basic research on the miniaturization and weight reduction of this technology are summarized.
We have raised the level of technology to practical application in collaboration with Synspective, the Tokyo Institute of Technology Hirokawa Laboratory, Keio University Shirasaka Laboratory and the University of Tokyo Nakasuka/Funase Laboratory.
TOKYO (Space BD PR) — Space BD Inc., the leading Japanese space startup providing access to space, announced that it would provide satellite deployment service from the International Space Station to ArkEdge Space for their satellite “NSPO-01.” NSPO-01 is an earth observation satellite developed by ArkEdge Space, the National Space Organization (NSPO) of Taiwan, and the University of Tokyo. It is the first mission for Space BD to work with NSPO.
ArkEdge Space (former company name: Space Edge Lab) is founded in 2018 as a spinout of Nakasuka-Funase Laboratory at the University of Tokyo, the Department of Aerospace Engineering. This time, ArkEdge Space awarded the contract by NSPO as co-researcher with Nakasuka laboratory to develop, launch, insert in orbit, and lead the initial operations of a 6U smallsatellite (100.0×226.3×366.0mm).
TOKYO (Space BD PR) — Space BD Inc., the leading space startup in Japan that provides access to space using the International Space Station Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” and rideshares on Japan’s flagship launch vehicle “H3,” announced that it will provide SmallSatellite deployment service from the International Space Station to ASTROFLASH Inc. ASTROFLASH is a startup that aims to bring space closer to everyday life through the world’s first satellite platform for visual attraction. The two companies have signed the launch service contract.
Artificial crater on asteroid Ryugu (Credit: JAXA, University of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, University of Aizu, AIST)
TOKYO (JAXA PR) — New information about the surface and orbit of Ryugu has been uncovered from analyzing data obtained during touchdown and the global observations performed by the asteroid explorer, Hayabusa2. These findings have been published in the electronic version of the US scientific journal Science, on May 7, 2020 (May 8, JST: Morota et al, 2002). The paper was led by Associate Professor Tomokatsu Morota from the University of Tokyo and member of the Hayabusa2 science team.
Aerobic bacteria live densely packed into tunnels of clay minerals found in this sample of solid rock, collected from 122 meters beneath the seafloor. Image B is 1,000 times greater magnification than Image A. The left-side photo in each image was taken using normal light and the right-side photo was taken using fluorescent light. The solid basalt rock is gray, the clay minerals are orange, and the bacterial cells are green spheres. (Credit: Suzuki et al. 2020, DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-0860-1, CC BY 4.0)
Microbes live in tiny clay-filled cracks in solid rock millions of years old
TOKYO (University of Tokyo PR) — Newly discovered single-celled creatures living deep beneath the seafloor have given researchers clues about how they might find life on Mars. These bacteria were discovered living in tiny cracks inside volcanic rocks after researchers persisted over a decade of trial and error to find a new way to examine the rocks.
Figure 1. Image of Ryugu captured by the ONC-T at an altitude of about 64m. Image was taken on September 21, 2018 at around 13:04 JST.This is the highest resolution photograph obtained of the surface of Ryugu. Bottom left is a large boulder. (Credit: JAXA, University of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, Aizu University, AIST).
TOKYO (JAXA PR) — When Hayabusa2 descended towards Ryugu for the MINERVA-II1 deployment operation, the ONC-T (Optical Navigation Camera – Telescopic) captured images at the highest resolution to date.
This next figure shows the location of Figure 1 on Ryugu.
Figure 2. Region of the highest resolution image. Yellow boxes correspond to the region in Figure 1. (Left) The region is shown on the ONC-T global image of Ryugu. (Right) ONC-W1 image, taken at 70 m height. 2018-09-21 13:02(JST). (Image credit: JAXA, University of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, Aizu University, AIST).
Highest resolution image obtained by Hayabusa
Figure 3. High resolution image of the surface of asteroid Itokawa photographed by Hayabusa. “D” is taken from an altitude of 63m. It is thought that the so-called “Muses Sea” (official name “MUSES-C Regio”) is covered with a “gravel” of granules with diameters from a few mm to few cm. (From Yano et al, Science Vol 312 2, June 2006)
Asteroid Ryugu photographed by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft. (Credit: JAXA, University of Tokyo and collaborators)
TOKYO (JAXA PR) — JAXA confirmed Hayabusa2, JAXA’s asteroid explorer rendezvoused with Ryugu, the target asteroid.
On June 27, 2018, JAXA operated Hayabusa2 chemical propulsion thrusters for the spacecraft’s orbit control.*
The confirmation of the Hayabusa2 rendezvous made at 9:35 a.m. (Japan Standard Time, JST) is based on the following data analyses;
・The thruster operation of Hayabusa2 occurred nominally
・The distance between Hayabusa2 and Ryugu is approximately 20 kilometers
・Hayabusa2 is able to maintain a constant distance to asteroid Ryugu
・The status of Hayabusa2 is normal
From this point, we are planning to conduct exploratory activities in the vicinity of the asteroid, including scientific observation of asteroid Ryugu and surveying the asteroid for sample collection.
*Hayabusa2 operation hours: 7:00 a.m. (JST) through 3:00 p.m. (JST), June 27. The thruster operation was pre-programmed in the event sequence earlier on the day and the command was automatically executed.
Japan increased its presence at the Small Satellite Conference in Utah this week, with 21 organizations displaying their capabilities and a presentation by the University of Tokyo about the nation’s smallsat programs.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI) participated in the conference for the first time, setting up a booth where the Japanese space agency JAXA, 18 companies and two universities advertised their capabilities (see the list below).