Cutting-edge technology enabling settlement of the solar system and beyond – Art by Rick Guidice / NASA
In a thread on Twitter, Kevin Cannon suggests that suppliers for services that SpaceX will need to settle Mars such as sanitation, medical supplies, entertainment, finance and others, get started sooner rather then later laying out their plans if they want to be selected to help settle a new world.
In an essay in the The Space Review, Kamil Muzyka, a PhD Candidate at the Institute of Law Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, lays out the space governance framework for profitable and sustainable operations through intergovernmental agreements (IGA). According to Muzyka, any new regulation should address:
The Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group is already working on the Building Blocks of an International Framework on Space Resource activities that will lead to eventual codified space law in this area.
Procure Space (Ticker symbol UFO) is a little known Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) available to average investors that is the only such vehicle focusing mainly on the space industry. Created by ProcureAM, LLC the ETF trades on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The objective of the fund is to track the S-Network Space Index which is designed to measure the performance of companies engaged in space-related industries. In the future, additional companies engaged in other space-related industries may emerge and be added to the index. These industries could include space colonization and infrastructure, among others.
Dynetics, one of three companies awarded a contract by NASA to develop a Human Landing System (HLS) for the Artemis Program, has just come out with a 3D printing file accompanied by a booklet of step-by-step instructions for hobbyists to make their own scale model of the company’s HLS. This is great way to inspire young people to get into STEM fields and hopefully get involved in space exploration and settlement.
NSS just posted a link to a recent NRL report outlining the next steps needed to make space solar power a reality. We’ve linked to the report on our Space Solar Power page. The report concludes with six recommendations:
(1) Mature space solar’s functional technologies and develop advanced concepts, particularly for power beaming.
(2) Monitor and maintain parity with foreign developments to avoid technological surprise, and to reduce the chances of being faced with a breakout capability.
(3) Advance robotic in-space assembly and manufacturing technology. Investment in these fields could have spin-off dividends in areas as diverse as astronomy, intelligence, and space industrialization.
(4) Address regulatory hurdles, especially in the area of spectrum identification for power beaming.
(5) Track technological progress regularly in areas such as launcher reuse and satellite mass production.
(6) Strengthen relationships between defense and civilian agencies, as well as international partners.
In a recent thread on Twitter referring to a forthcoming paper, Kevin M. Cannon calculates the optimum path for rover access down into the cold traps in lunar craters at the Moon’s poles. The entire dataset including an ice prospecting guide is available on Cannon’s website which is now linked on our In Situ Resource Utilization page
Lowest-energy, lowest-distance and lowest-slope paths from illuminated, flat staging areas outside the cold trap to a target within it. Image and text credits: Kevin Cannon via Twitter
A European student team call Ampex 20 is working on a project called MoonFiber which aims to automate production of glass fibers on the Moon. Applications include fabrication of composites, thermal insulation, fabrics and other products requiring woven material. Products made in-situ from local materials significantly reduce costs by not having to transport them from Earth.
The MoonFiber project is being conducted by RWTH Aachen University in Germany. A teaser video is available here.
As stated in a recent press release, noted space business investor and founder of Space for Humanity, Dylan Taylor has booked a payload on Xplore’s upcoming inaugural flight of its flagship Xcraft to the Moon. Although details of the payload have not been revealed, the mission of the nonprofit company is to expand access to space, train our leaders of tomorrow, and contribute to a culture of interconnectedness as we venture into the stars.
Both fission and fusion nuclear power systems are in development for use in space in the near future. Kilopower, NASA’s fission nuclear reactor we reported on last March has now been renamed the Nuclear Fission Power Project. An update appeared recently in Chemical & Engineering News.
On the fusion front, a compact generator is under development by Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technologies, Inc. (MIFTI) a subsidiary of US Nuclear Corporation. In a recent press release the company claims that its staged Z-Pinch reactor may come on line within 5 years, which could potentially be providing power to lunar settlements by the end of this decade. The system may even have enough power to propel hypervelocity space ships shortening trips to Mars.
Schematic of staged Z-Pinch fusion system. Credits: MIFTI
Eric Berger chronicles the ten year history of SpaceX’s flagship launch vehicle. The versatile, reusable workhorse has been the proving ground for the technology that will make Elon Musk’s vision of low cost interplanetary space travel a reality in the near future.
