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National Space Society publishes NRL research on opportunities and challenges for Space Solar Power

One of many proposed space solar concepts; depiction is not to scale. Image credit: Naval Research Laboratory

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.

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Accessibility of lunar ice

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

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Spinning fiber from lunar regolith

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.

Spinning unit capable to withstand the Moon environmental conditions. Image credit: Ampex 20

The MoonFiber project is being conducted by RWTH Aachen University in Germany. A teaser video is available here.

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Private investor reserves spot on Xplore’s first Moon Mission

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.

Artist concept of an Xplore Xcraft™ in the vicinity of the Moon. Credits: Xplore
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Space nuclear power looking bright

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.

Artist’s concept of NASA’s planned fission power system on the lunar surface. Credits: NASA

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

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Happy Anniversary Falcon 9!

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.

Falcon 9 historic launch of NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken aboard Crew Dragon. Image courtesy of SpaceX
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Legal implications of a cislunar economy

In an article in Live Encounters Magazine, Dr. Namrata Goswami articulates the legal challenges ahead as the major space powers race to capitalize on the potentially lucrative markets made possible by lunar resources. She argues that now is the time to establish the legal framework for enabling private ownership of resources and profitable businesses. The processes for how conflicts will be resolved over trillions of dollars worth of space resources among legal entities must be defined ahead of time. If international agreements are not developed she believes that there may be a “legal vacuum”, resulting in individual states taking matters into their own hands.

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ESA solicits input for European Large Logistic Lander

An artist’s impression of astronauts unloading cargo from ESA’s European Large Logistic Lander. Image courtesy of ESA

In a video message from Jan Wörner, Director General, ESA is asking for ideas on how the agency’s new lander can explore the Moon in the late 2020s. Of particular interest are suggestions for strategies on for the best approaches to science, space resources and technology.

Diagram depicting the timeline and process for idea selection. Image courtesy of ESA

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Redefining Life

As humans move off Earth and settle the solar system and beyond, we will eventually want to know if we are alone or if we will encounter alien life. Astrobiologists up until now have been basing their research on “life as we know it”. Now Stuart Bartlett and Michael L. Wong in a paper in the journal Life are proposing a new definition and vocabulary to describe a more general picture of what life is (or could be). This approach will more clearly define the questions steering the direction of research into the origins of life. The authors propose four processes of the living state: dissipation, autocatalysis, homeostasis, and learning. They suggest a new term for the combination of these four pillars: lyfe (pronounced “loif”). A Venn diagram of these processes would all intersect in the region of lyfe which would including the subset of life on Earth.

A Venn diagram of the four pillars of lyfe. Sublyfe (regions 1–8) is any system that performs some but not all of the pillars, while lyfe (region 9) is any system that performs all four. Credit: Stuart Bartlett and Michael L. Wong, Life, 16 April 2020
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How much is space infrastructure worth?

We take for granted many of the conveniences made possible by space technology. Agriculture, banking, navigation, environmental monitoring, weather, emergency services. The list goes on and on. The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy has just published a report called The Value of Space to quantify these benefits. Without realizing it, satellite services have become an integral part of our lives. This paper sheds a light on just how much Earth relies on space. This dependence will only increase as humanity settles the solar system.

Use of satellite services for agricultural applications. Credit: The Aerospace Corporation