Virgin Orbit - Start Me Up Livestream
Jan 9 2023
Virgin Orbit’s Start Me Up mission will be a mission of many firsts: the first orbital launch from the United Kingdom; the first international launch for Virgin Orbit; and the first commercial launch from western Europe; launching the first Omani satellite; the first satellite built in Wales; and more. These firsts are exciting in and of themselves, but each of them is also the first of what we hope and expect to be many.
Start Me Up
Enabled by funding from the UK Space Agency, the mission will meet a key ambition of the UK Government’s National Space Strategy, the first ever orbital launch from the UK. Virgin Orbit has worked closely with a number of partners to prepare for this historic launch including the United States Department of Defense, United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the United States’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
To prepare for this mission, our LauncherOne rocket journeyed across the pond, courtesy of a C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force. After arriving at Spaceport Cornwall, it underwent another round of wet dress rehearsals to confirm all systems are a go for launch. It was then mated with Virgin Orbit’s Cosmic Girl, after the customized 747 aircraft that serves as the flying fully-reusable launch pad and mission control center made its own newsworthy flight from the U.S. to the U.K.
This history-making mission is made possible by Virgin Orbit’s mobile, highly-flexible LauncherOne system, which will take off from Spaceport Cornwall in the far west of Great Britain. Virgin Orbit’s unique air-launch platform transforms a runway into a spaceport, eliminating the need to rely on traditional spaceports that support vertical launches. Building on a track record of 100% mission success in its four operational launches to date, Virgin Orbit is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most responsive launch methods in the world.
https://youtu.be/5Co18HcyqHk
https://virginorbit.com/start-me-up/
NASA Selects Experimental Space Technology Concepts for Initial Study
Imagine a future in space where pellet-beam propulsion systems speed up travel to other worlds, pipelines on the Moon transport oxygen between settlements, and Martian bricks grow on their own before being assembled into homes. Researchers will delve into these ideas and more using NASA grant funding.
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program fosters innovation by funding early-stage studies to evaluate technologies that could support future missions. The latest round of awards will provide $175,000 grants to 14 visionaries from nine states. Ten of the selected researchers are first-time NIAC recipients.
“NASA dares to make the impossible possible. That’s only achievable because of the innovators, thinkers, and doers who are helping us imagine and prepare for the future of space exploration,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The NIAC program helps give these forward-thinking scientists and engineers the tools and support they need to spur technology that will enable future NASA missions.”
The new Phase I projects include innovative sensors and instruments, manufacturing techniques, power systems, and more.
A concept envisioned by Quinn Morley of Planet Enterprises in Gig Harbor, Washington, could investigate the chemistry of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. Flying on Titan would be relatively easy thanks to its low gravity and thick atmosphere. Morley conceived a flying, heavily instrumented boat that would seamlessly transition between soaring through Titan’s atmosphere and sailing its lakes, much like a seaplane on Earth.
Mary Knapp from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge proposed a new kind of space observatory comprised of thousands of identical small satellites. Precisely positioned in deep space, they could work together to detect radio emissions at low frequencies from the earliest epochs of the universe and measure magnetic fields of terrestrial exoplanets, helping identify planets outside the solar system that are rocky like Earth and Mars.
Since 2011, NIAC has nurtured ideas like these that sound like science fiction, but – if successful – just might be possible. The program sits within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and explores technically credible, early-stage aerospace concepts. NIAC researchers, called fellows, form an advanced, collaborative research community. Under their NIAC awards, the fellows investigate the physics of their concepts, roadmap necessary technology development, identify potential limitations, and look for transition opportunities to bring these concepts to reality.
“These initial Phase I NIAC studies help NASA determine whether these futuristic ideas could set the stage for future space exploration capabilities and enable amazing new missions,” said Michael LaPointe, program executive for NIAC at NASA Headquarters.
1/2
All NIAC studies are in the very early stages of conceptual development and are not considered official NASA missions.
The researchers selected to receive NIAC Phase I grants in 2023, their institutions, and the titles of their proposals are:
Edward Balaban, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley: Fluidic Telescope: Enabling the Next Generation of Large Space Observatories
Igor Bargatin, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia: Photophoretic Propulsion Enabling Mesosphere Exploration
Theresa Benyo, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland: Accessing Icy World Oceans Using Lattice Confinement Fusion Fast Fission
Zachary Cordero, MIT: Bend-Forming of Large Electrostatically Actuated Space Structures
Peter Curreri, Lunar Resources, Inc. in Houston: Lunar South Pole Oxygen Pipeline
Artur Davoyan, University of California, Los Angeles: Pellet-Beam Propulsion for Breakthrough Space Exploration
Ryan Gosse, University of Florida, Gainesville: New Class of Bimodal Nuclear Thermal/Electric Propulsion with a Wave Rotor Topping Cycle Enabling Fast Transit to Mars
Congrui Jin, University of Nebraska, Lincoln: Biomineralization-Enabled Self-Growing Building Blocks for Habitat Outfitting on Mars
Mary Knapp, MIT: Great Observatory for Long Wavelengths
Quinn Morley, Planet Enterprises in Gig Harbor, Washington: TitanAir: Leading-Edge Liquid Collection to Enable Cutting-Edge Science
Christopher Morrison, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation – Space, in Seattle: EmberCore Flashlight: Long Distance Lunar Characterization with Intense Passive X- and Gamma ray Source
Heidi Newberg, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York: Diffractive Interfero Coronagraph Exoplanet Resolver: Detecting and Characterizing all Earth-like Exoplanets Orbiting Sun-like Stars within 10 Parsecs
Stephen Polly, Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York: Radioisotope Thermoradiative Cell Power Generator
Ryan Weed, Positron Dynamics in Seattle: Aerogel Core Fission Fragment Rocket Engine
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-experimental-space-technology-concepts-for-initial-study
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/index.html
https://youtu.be/lc9KlJFX8Us
2/2
NASA Names New Agency-Wide Chief Technologist
Jan 9, 2023
A.C. Charania is NASA’s new chief technologist, serving as principal advisor to Administrator Bill Nelson on technology policy and programs at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington. He will lead technology innovation.
The chief technologist aligns NASA’s agencywide technology investments with mission needs across six mission directorates and oversees technology collaboration with other federal agencies, the private sector, and external stakeholders. The position works within NASA’s Office for Technology, Policy, and Strategy.
“Technology plays a vital role in every NASA mission. Making sure that we’re pursuing the best policy objectives allows this agency to continue to serve as a global leader in innovation,” said Bhavya Lal, NASA associate administrator for technology, policy, and strategy. “A.C. is an experienced leader in managing large, rapidly shifting technology portfolios. I am eager for him to apply his knowledge and enthusiasm at NASA.”
Lal served as acting chief technologist prior to the appointment of Charania, whose first day working at NASA Headquarters was Jan. 3.
“The rate of advancement we seek in the 21st century is dependent upon selecting and maturing a portfolio of technologies into systems to execute our missions,” said Charania. “With this in mind, there are incredible opportunities in partnerships within and outside of NASA. I now look forward to the opportunity to work with the entire community to increase the rate of space and aviation progress.”
Before joining NASA, Charania served as vice president of product strategy at Reliable Robotics, a firm that is working to bring certified autonomous vehicles to commercial aviation. His previous experience also includes working at Blue Origin to mature its lunar permanence strategy, Blue Moon lunar lander program, and multiple technology initiatives with NASA.
He previously worked in strategy and business development for the Virgin Galactic (now Virgin Orbit) LauncherOne small satellite launch vehicle program. He also served in multiple management and technology roles at SpaceWorks Enterprises, including helping to incubate two startups, Generation Orbit and Terminal Velocity Aerospace.
Charania led the formation of the FastForward industry group focused on high-speed point-to-point transportation, was a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fellow, and served on the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Commercial Advisory Board. He received a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s in economics from Emory University.
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-names-new-agency-wide-chief-technologist
https://www.nasa.gov/offices/otps/home/index.html