These Prada Boots Are Made For Moon Walkin’
Psyche’s mission to a metal-rich asteroid, a luxury space suit for Artemis, and all the other ways space agencies touted their shiny things this week
Hello Celestial Citizens and Continuum readers,
We have lift-off of the Psyche mission! And no one is more relieved than JPL after what felt like a particularly turbulent path to completion. So, it seems oddly fitting that this mission would launch on the spookiest of days — Friday the 13th. That being said, waking up and watching a successful launch was some much-needed (however insignificant by comparison) good news in an otherwise heartbreaking week.
And now, here is the space beat you came here for…
Top Headlines
Asteroid Autumn, Continued – At your local coffee shop, this season may be defined by the pumpkin spice latte – and who are we kidding, this Copper Moon pumpkin spice blend has us in a chokehold – but at NASA, this fall is defined by asteroids. Following the successful Bennu sample retrieval last month, NASA enlightened the public with a live “unboxing” stream this week, revealing a makeup of high carbon content and water. The team’s continued research of the Bennu dust should be able to provide further insight into its exact carbon compounds, in an effort to establish “how the precursor materials to life may have been seeded on Earth,” according to the agency. Needless to say, everyone’s very excited about the sample’s potential, or as one of the mission’s investigators put it, “this stuff is an astrobiologist’s dream.”
A Real Goldmine – While the Bennu sample settles into life on Earth, a metal-rich asteroid known as Psyche awaits its visitor, a NASA spacecraft that launched this morning on board a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The agency’s Psyche mission, initially scheduled to take off last year, had a rocky start to its October launch window when the team noticed an issue with its thrusters. Not wanting to risk the spacecraft overheating during its eight-year journey through space, Psyche’s engineers were able to fix the issue in just one short week, keeping the mission within this year’s launch window ending on October 25th. However, hazardous weather delayed the mission once again this week, landing the launch date on the famously fortuitous day, Friday the 13th. Surely, the Psyche team is anxious to get the mission off the ground, as there’s a lot to learn about its target asteroid. In fact, the mission’s lead scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton estimates the metals on Psyche would be worth more than “the entire world economy” here on Earth, even without knowing the type of metal. Until the mission retrieves a sample in 2029, scientists can only guess at the space rock’s composition, which is likely a combination of nickel and iron or nickel and copper (who has made a Psyche bingo card, because we want in!). Of course, the mission will provide a window into a future of space mining – not that we’ll reap that cold hard Psyche cash in our lifetime. The distance to and from the asteroid would make it impractical to set up a mining operation with our current technology. But companies like Astroforge are preparing for this future – hopefully, one that’s a little more short-term, with M-class asteroids closer to home.
Cosmic Order – Tomorrow, there will be an annular eclipse gracing parts of the Western Hemisphere – from Oregon to the American Southwest to Brazil – with its otherworldly presence. Equipped with certified ISO 12312-2 compliant solar glasses reminiscent of those movie theater 3D glasses that are probably disintegrating in your junk drawer as we speak, many astronomy-minded folks will be heading to viewing sites this weekend. At the same time, Indigenous peoples of Navajo Nation will decidedly not be viewing the eclipse, as the natural phenomenon is and has always been cause for stillness and looking inward. While the exact significance of this cosmic alignment varies between and within tribes like the Navajo, these events are always sacred, in some cases prompting school closures, fasting and quiet reflection. To avoid a culture clash, Navajo Nation Parks in Utah such as Monument Valley are closed on Saturday. Another way to respect this Indigenous tradition is to be mindful when posting to social media, so folks who do not wish to witness the eclipse can make sure to avoid it on their screens.
Space, But Make It Fashion – Paris Fashion Week may have just ended but we’re saving up for the inevitable Moon Fashion Week (don’t doubt us, it’s gonna happen), made evident by Axiom Space’s new partnership with Prada for their Artemis spacesuit design. While the collaboration may seem like it’s just for show the cosmic catwalk, Axiom commends Prada for their technological aptitude, noting that “they’re more than just a fashion company.” Specifically, the Italian brand’s experience in composites – which Axiom will look to apply in the torso and pant portions of the suit – could lend to a lighter suit overall. And in space, where “mass is king,” Axiom Chief Executive Michael Suffredini believes the Axiom x Prada suit will reign supreme.
Project Kuiper – While Blue Origin might be Bezos’ space-focused company, it was his behemoth Amazon that made it to orbit for the first time last week, launching the first two satellites for the Project Kuiper mega-constellation. The two prototypes finally made their way to LEO thanks to a trusty ULA Atlas 5 rocket after its other intended rides encountered delays, like ABL Space Systems’ RS1 rocket and even ULA’s own Vulcan Centaur. One day, the plan is to keep the whole operation in house (Bezos’ house, that is) and have Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket deliver Project Kuiper’s satellites to orbit, a scheme that sparked a lawsuit from an Amazon shareholder back in August. It certainly makes sense that Bezos would not want to consider its biggest mega-constellation competitor, SpaceX as a launch provider for Project Kuiper, but it remains to be seen if Amazon will suffer any financial or regulatory loss by prioritizing Blue Origin as its satellite chariot. In any case, the Project Kuiper team will spend these first few months testing the prototypes with their ground systems before hitting full scale production. We are curious to see how it all shakes out.
The JWST Download
Within the JWST-made, best views yet of the Orion Nebula, astronomers have discovered JuMBOs, or Jupiter Mass Binary Objects. Contrary to their name, these short kings are significantly smaller than your average gaseous object, forcing astronomers to question their current understanding of planet and star formation.
With a new partnership between Swatch and the European Space Agency, timetellers can purchase watches adorned with the Carina Nebula and other stellar sights captured by JWST and Hubble.
As supporters of Hubble Galaxy Week (October 2nd to October 7th) – and as insufferable Harry Potter nerds who can’t resist an opportunity to wax parseltongue – we’d be remiss not to mention this snake-like sssss-piral galaxy 80 million light years away, recently captured by JWST’s cool older cousin, the Hubble.
The JWST’s new image of The Small Magellanic Cloud shows that the galaxy – a companion to the Milky Way – is dustier than they expected. I said the same thing when I touched the top of my ceiling fan.
A Global Space
Spain – With Miura 1’s long anticipated blast off last Friday, Spanish company PLD Space claimed to achieve the first private rocket launch in Europe. That said, it would seem that either Dutch company T-Minus Engineering or Scottish Skyrora gleaned that title already – both having launched their Kingfisher rocket and Skylark L vehicle, respectively – back in October 2022. The Miura 1 may not have snagged that trophy – nor did it make it over halfway to the officially recognized boundary of space – but the launch was still very assuring for Spain and Europe as a whole. At the same time as he celebrated the company’s “over 12 years of relentless effort” on the rocket,” PLD’s launch director Raúl Torres acknowledged that Friday’s launch was “just the start of our journey.” Miura 1 enters Europe’s launch provider arena with France’s Ariane 6 and Vega vehicles, adding some welcome competition that may push things along a little more swiftly for ESA.
ESA – In the wake of Miura 1’s launch, ArianeGroup is now looking for a 150% increase, or an additional €210M in funding to get the perpetually delayed Ariane 6 off the ground. Cue a collective oof. For something that was “supposed to be a low-cost launch vehicle that was cheap to develop and would act as a stopgap between an expendable present and a reusable future,” as put by Journalist
, the Ariane 6 continues to dig Europe into a deeper and deeper financial hole – one that will take years to climb out of. That said, the space agency did celebrate a comeback this week, with Arianespace’s Vega rocket successfully deploying a dozen smallsats, including one for the Taiwan Space Agency and one for Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. This was the first Vega launch since the failure of the more powerful Vega C rocket in December 2022. In two last bits of good news, Europe’s beloved Euclid telescope found its way this week after some star misidentifications caused the telescope to get lost in the sauce of the universe. With its star patterns reestablished, Euclid may reenter its “performance verification phase” before it’s (hopefully) off to the races in late November. Also, the agency just announced a lunar roadmaking experiment, where lasers are being used to melt (and flatten) simulated moondust. If life is a lunar highway, we wanna ride it all lunar night long.JAXA – Japan is back in the lunar lander race with SLIM – its agency-developed spacecraft launched in early September – which just completed a flyby of the moon on October 4th. While an exciting preview, the flyby does not mean a landing is imminent for SLIM; the vehicle will take a few more months to enter lunar orbit and attempt its pinpoint touchdown near the Shioli crater.
has a great graphic of the spacecraft’s fuel-efficient trajectory.China – Last week at the 74th International Astronautical Congress, held in Baku, Azerbaijan – despite the nation’s insulation of Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh, currently described as a “disaster zone” – many nations took the stage to tout their recent and upcoming missions. China revealed new details regarding their 2028 mission Chang’e-8, which intends to investigate lunar resources in preparation for lunar settlement as soon as the end of the decade. Competing with NASA’s Artemis program, China’s robotic lander is targeting one of the potential landing sites in mind for the US’s crewed Artemis-3. Even with the mission’s lofty ambitions, the Chang’e-8 launch vehicle has some extra room – 200 kilograms, to be exact. China is calling for international proposals to ride up to orbit with the mission. Additional lunar goals announced at IAC 2023 for China were the nation’s plans to construct the Queqiao constellation, a three-stage lunar satellite network and its new partnership with Azerbaijan, who signed on to China’s International Lunar Research Station project, the nation’s parallel effort to Artemis.
Russia – Last week at IAC, Roscosmos leading man Yuri Borisov was certainly not shy when it came to announcing the nation’s plans to build a new space station. Paralleling China’s announcement, Borisov also revealed plans for an accompanying mega-constellation, called “Sfera.” While he spoke with confidence and ambition to begin launches for the Russian Space Station “by 2027,” the announcement was colored by recent news of Russia’s space budget heading on a downward trajectory over the course of the next few years. While plans for a heck-of-a-lot more infrastructure clash with the nation’s sinking budget, any existing doubt was compounded after a recent ammonia leak on the ISS’s Russian section.
North Korea – Now, we don’t (and won’t) know exactly when, but sometime this month North Korea will attempt to launch a military spy satellite – the third attempt after two failures. The Malligyong-1 will presumably ride up on a Chollima-1 rocket; it is a direct “self-defense” response to the United States and its “ever-escalating military threat and aggression scheme,” according to Ri Song-jin, a researcher with the DPRK’s National Aerospace Technology Administration.
Space Reads!
Sometimes the word “outshine” is a positive (maybe that’s just in American culture?) but in the case of this new antenna array, outshining means some serious light pollution – and a real drag for astronomers.
Where are all the space lawyers at? We really appreciated this space law professor’s essay supporting the inclusion of more Black space professionals in the industry, highlighting groups like BlackInAstro and schools such as Howard University School of Law, now one of the few institutions to offer a space law class. You can also check out our Season 2 conversation with AJ about disability rights in space, on Celestial Citizen podcast!
Not so different from what just went down with the Euclid telescope, birds and their navigation systems have been affected by solar flares and other space weather, according to new research. Also, I was today-years-old when I learned that a bird lost during its migration is called “bird vagrancy.”
If you’re reading this, you probably have a pretty solid finger on the pulse of space. But in case you want a general overview narrated by national treasure Mark Hamill, the US State Department just released a series of videos about life in the last frontier, complete with plenty of Star Wars references.
And that’s a wrap on this week in space news! Keep an eye out this coming Monday for MOONSHOT, our paid subscriber newsletter covering the commercial space sector. A big thank you to Tess Ryan for writing this edition with me and for keeping up with the cosmos! We hope you enjoyed reading Continuum this week and will share it with your friends. And if you really, really like us, then consider becoming a paid subscriber or gifting a subscription so we can keep putting out more space content.
Keep it celestial people,
Britt
CEO of Celestial Citizen & Creator of Continuum
This edition of the newsletter was brought to you by:
Multiverse Media (Gold Sponsor)
Colorado School of Mines Space Resources Program (Silver Sponsor)
Explore Mars (Silver Sponsor)
Copper Moon Coffee (Silver Sponsor)
