Moonshot #10

SpaceX couldn't make it last, Impulse Space raises $45 million, NASA & Axiom announce plans for Ax-4 in 2024, and much more

Hello Continuum readers and Celestial Citizens,

Welcome back to Moonshot where we will give a bi-weekly rundown of all the private sector space news. If you haven’t already, consider becoming a paid subscriber ($6/month) so you can get past that pesky paywall and read the full Moonshot post!

And here is the commercial space beat…

SpaceX tests its new water deluge system at its Starship launchpad. Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX – What’s that phrase? One step forward, two steps back. Anyways, on a completely unconnected note, SpaceX has been working to rectify the environmental damages caused by its Starship launch in April – by running tests without the proper environmental permits. In order to build a proper water deluge system – that would have saved the Boca Chica launch site from the debris storm in the first place – SpaceX has yet again moved ahead with abandon, ignoring the permits for the flame deflector wastewater required by the Clean Water Act. In terms of test performance, it appears that Booster 9 and the water deluge system functioned mostly as expected without any significant damage to the site. However, the test only lasted about half as long as hoped and four of the 33 Raptor engines shut down prematurely – so there’s still a lot that needs to get sorted clearly. On the flipside, the company celebrates two recent launch successes, including that of EchoStar’s Jupiter-3 spacecraft on a Falcon Heavy rocket, and an Intelsat G-37 communications satellite via a Falcon 9 just last week.

Axiom – Building upon two prior successful missions and a planned third mission, Axiom Space and NASA will go into business again next year with Ax-4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. NASA announced the deal this past week, noting that commercial collaborations like that with Axiom help “sustain a continuous United States presence in low Earth orbit and to transition beyond International Space Station operations.” Basically, while the government agency looks ahead to deep space missions like Artemis, commercial companies are holding down the LEO fort. 

Impulse Space — The venture capital arm of Raytheon Technologies led a recent Series A funding round for startup Impulse Space, which specializes in in-space transportation and delivery services. Led by Tom Mueller – a founding member of SpaceX and rocket engine designer – Impulse will use this $45 million in funding largely to develop Helios, a direct-to-GEO vehicle which will essentially negate the need for a geostationary transfer orbit. This technology could really accelerate Impulse’s rise to prominence in the industry, as the big hitters like SpaceX do not currently supply this type of service. 

Rocket Lab – They may Love the Nightlife, but Rocket Lab committed the ultimate party foul by bailing on plans in the wee hours of Sunday, July 30th, scrubbing the scheduled Electron rocket launch due to strong winds. The rocket — which will transport an Earth-observing satellite from San Francisco-based Capella Space – was next scheduled to launch on August 6th from the company’s New Zealand launch site. However, the August 6th attempt was also scrubbed "due to out-of-family sensor data,” and no new date has been scheduled as of yet. Though Rocket Lab’s latest launch of Baby Come Back helped the team develop the reusability of the Electron rocket, there will be no such recovery effort for We Love the Nightlife. So, we guess this mission will be like that friend you meet at the club and promise to keep in touch with – but ultimately will never speak to again. 

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Northrop Grumman – In addition to the successful Antares launch last week, Northrop Grumman has been hard at work developing a module for NASA’s Gateway. Called the HALO, or Habitation and Logistics Outpost, the module is based on Northrop’s Cygnus spacecraft (yes, the same one that just took a ride on the Antares rocket) and is meant to establish initial housing at the lunar outpost. As with any new and ambitious project, the needs have evolved since Northrop entered into a fixed cost contract with NASA in 2021, and the company recently announced a hit of $36 million they’ve had to eat in the face of this, well, evolution.

Privateer Space – Space software company Privateer Space, the company behind tracking app Wayfinder and led by Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, announced an AI-powered machine this past week that, when attached to a satellite, will offer “conjunction analysis, dynamic tasking, and autopilot capability.” The Maui-based company hopes this hardware – dubbed Pono – combined with the existent Wayfinder’s capabilities will democratize access to space tracking, Wozniak comparing the shift to when “GPS technology became available to the masses.”

Planet – A company restructure is the cause of significant layoffs at Planet, a satellite imagery and data analysis company based in San Francisco. At approximately 1,000 employees, the projected layoff of 117 people means a loss of about 10% of the company. Citing a “challenging macro environment,” CEO Will Marshall believes the company going public in 2021 may have also altered the company’s trajectory, creating unanticipated complexity. Here’s hoping that Planet – and the teammates they will have to lose – can land on their feet in the coming months. 

Astroscale & Astro Digital – In a first for the company, Tokyo-based Astroscale entered into a commercial partnership with small satellite manufacturer Astro Digital. California-based Astro Digital will construct a docking plate to attach to Astroscale satellites, making them more efficiently serviceable in space. While the exact scope of this collaboration is still under wraps, we know that Astroscale is not short on contracts in the coming years, including one for JAXA under which the company will launch a vehicle to inspect an expended upper stage of a Japanese H2-A rocket. 

Aerojet Rocketdyne – An El Segundo rocket engine and propulsion system manufacturer – in fact the last independent U.S. supplier of missile propulsion systems – Aerojet Rocketdyne was just acquired by defense contractor L3Harris. The $4.7 billion sale comes nearly three years after Lockheed Martin attempted to buy the company for $4.4 billion. Lucky for L3Harris, DoD budgets are increasing in the face of global conflict, giving them more to spend on acquisitions like this one. Curious how Lockheed feels about this, given that the FTC blocked their initial attempt in an effort to avoid a supply monopoly. At least, L3Harris has promised not to hold Aerojet Rocketdyne’s systems hostage; accordingly, they will continue to supply global clients beyond L3Harris.    

Sierra Space’s VR35K-A engine. Credit: Sierra Space

Sierra Space – Colorado-based Sierra Space has accepted a nice chunk of change from the United States Air Force, who is interested in their highly efficient VR35K-A engine. Under the $22.5 million contract, Sierra Space will develop a “flight-weight engine component design” on their engine, which they advertise its ability to achieve “more thrust and higher performance in a smaller package.”

Kleos Space – Luxembourg-based startup and one of the original NRO contractors Kleos Space has announced they will file for bankruptcy. The geospatial intelligence company simply could not secure the funding necessary to offset a series of setbacks like launch delays and development issues. Sadly, the National Reconnaissance Office will have to obtain their radio-frequency data elsewhere.