Thrusters gone gangbusters (2/7/23)

Good morning, and happy Tuesday. We’re thrilled to not only A) publish an intellectually stimulating, fun episode with Ariel Ekblaw today, but also B) to lift the wraps on Pathfinder’s new music! Huge shoutout to Peter Xiong, our producer, for writing and compasing the new soundtrack. Give today’s episode a listen and let us know what you think.

In today's edition...🎶 Pathfinder #0035🔨 Busek thruster ramp🔁 On the move

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Pathfinder #0035, featuring Ariel Ekblaw

Today’s episode ranges from geodesic dome habitats and microgravity concert halls to space cathedrals and a real-life Starfleet Academy. Ariel Ekblaw, our guest, has been thinking about these topics for a long time and leads teams that are actively prototyping them. Ultimately, her north star is preparing humanity to become a thriving space-faring species.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Kepler Communications, Pathfinder's new sponsor. Kepler is bringing the internet to space and developing the infrastructure to support out-of-this-world communications.

Bio in brief: Ariel is director of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), as well as the cofounder and CEO of the Aurelia Institute. Situated within the MIT Media Lab, SEI supports 40+ research projects and includes a team of 50+ students, staff, and faculty. As for the Aurelia Institute, Ariel’s quote-unquote “new thing”...well, it’s a nonprofit space architecture R&D lab, education & outreach center, and policy hub.

Sneak peek of what we cover:

• Unpacking the Aurelia Institute’s tagline: “it’s time to scale up life in space”

• Swarms, biomimicry, and anthropomorphic technology in space

• Democratizing space and expanding its accessibility

• How the Age of AI and space exploration intersect

• Sci-fi works that Ariel draws inspiration from

• “The gateway drug to space exploration”

• How space architects could use Starship

…and more! We’re excited that Ariel opened up about Aurelia and its big plans for 2023. Let’s just say our money’s on Ariel to be the first to create an IRL Starfleet Academy.

Pathfinder #0034 is fresh off the press

🎧 Tune in via Apple Podcasts📺 Watch on YouTube🎶 Listen online

New Thrusters Take Flight

Busek has its sights set on ramping up production. The propulsion company announced yesterday that it has fully commissioned its thrusters on 80 OneWeb satellites that launched in December and January.

“The space community often talks about rapid response and the need for speed, and this is a great example of preparedness, and fast, high-quality execution,” Busek President Vlad Hruby said in a press release.

Stranded sats: Up until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, OneWeb sourced its thrusters from two companies: Massachusetts-based Busek and Russia's Fakel. Sweeping sanctions on Russia meant that OneWeb needed to source exclusively from Busek.

The prop company responded by ramping up its production. “We have been going gangbusters since our phone started ringing in late February,” Peter Hruby, Busek VP, told SpaceNews.

Up and running: OneWeb is commissioning two batches of satellites that went up on Falcon 9s over the last 61 days. The batches were the first to come equipped with Busek’s BHT-350 solar electric propulsion (EP) systems.

• The EP systems perform station-keeping and collision avoidance maneuvers.

• The thrusters will also de-orbit the satellites at the end of their missions.

• BHT-350s can use xenon, krypton, and iodine propellants, and Busek is working to develop a solid fuel option.

Gotta go fast: Since taking on OneWeb's bigger order book, Busek has ramped production to 20 thrusters a month. The company says that it’s developed the capacity to double that rate, and it’s working on further expansion to triple production “to meet certain near-term programs.”

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🚨 Sign Up For Payload's Next Webinar 🚨

Critical supply chains are the weakest link to a devastating cyber attack. The risks posed by critical suppliers and the wider supply chain are growing for all space companies.

Hackers are using innovative ML/AI to penetrate advanced manufacturing, communications, 3D Printing, and encrypted networks. This webinar will include experts who will discuss enhancing resiliency, privacy, and posture as we enter the wild-west of space: ML/AI-based attacks and quantum computing. We will also dive into insurance companies contemplating not renewing cyber policies for vulnerable space companies.

In Other News

• COSMOS 2499, a Russian satellite launched in 2014, broke up into ~85 pieces at an altitude of 1,169 km.

• SpaceX launched Amazonas Nexus, a GEO comms satellite, for Spanish telco Hispasat. The mission also carried a secondary USSF payload.

• Turkey has declined an offer from SpaceX to send in Starlink kits after a deadly earthquake struck that country and parts of Syria.

• World View, as it prepares to SPAC, is playing up its remote sensing capabilities after pivoting away from crewed balloon flights (h/t SpaceNews).

• Roy Bridges and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) will be inducted into the 2023 Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 6 at the KSC Visitor Complex.

The View from Space

Starman celebrated the fifth anniversary of launching into space on a Falcon Heavy yesterday. Time flies when you’re zooming around space in a Roadster.