Over and out (4/20/23)

Good morning. The space community is counting down to two Starship milestones: the first orbital launch attempt from Boca Chica, which could happen as early as today, and the release of a Starship-shaped torch that’s available for pre-order in SpaceX’s online store, which can be used to “caramelize the sugar on a crème brûlée,” according to the website. Launch has never tasted so good.

In today's edition...📳 Comms on the moon🛰️ North Korea’s first spy sat📝 The contract report

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L3Harris Building Comms System for Lunar Missions

L3Harris Technologies announced Tuesday that it will provide the communications system Artemis astronauts use to communicate with each other and with Earth from the lunar surface.

While much attention has been paid to the rocket, spacecraft, and people that will part of the first crewed Moon mission in more than 50 years, communications are critical to the flight, because “that’s one small…man” doesn’t really have the same poetic quality as Neil Armstrong’s iconic transmission from the Moon.

The system: L3Harris’ Mission Astronaut Communications System is made up of three parts: an audio control unit within the Orion capsule that runs the whole system, a speaker in Orion that provides audio, and a voice-activated audio interface unit that clips onto an astronaut’s suit like a Secret Service radio. It will fly to space for the first time on the Artemis II mission, expected to launch next year.

The stakes: Providing communications for a crewed mission means everything has to work perfectly, Colin Mitchell, the VP of RF systems at L3Harris, told Payload at Space Symposium.

“Anything on a spacecraft carrying astronauts is a no-fail component,” Mitchell said. “That mission doesn’t succeed if the astronauts can’t communicate with the ground.”

Beyond the moon: The communications systems will need some updates if (when?) NASA sends the Orion capsule to Mars. The mission life of the system will need to be extended for the much longer mission to the Red Planet, Mitchell said. He also said he expects redundancy will be built into the system to ensure there is absolutely no chance of failure on the months-long mission.

But, he said, the Artemis missions are great practice for eventually reaching Mars. “There’s no better test than doing it like this."

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North Korea to Launch its First Military Spy Satellite

North Korea’s military is getting ready to expand to orbit with the launch of its first spy satellite, leader Kim Jong Un announced Wednesday, according to an AP report.

North Korea in space: The Hermit Kingdom has previously launched three non-military satellites to orbit: one experimental comms satellite in 2009 and two EO satellites in 2012 and 2016. The upcoming launch will be the first time it sends spy birds to space.

The reconnaissance sats will likely be used to identify South Korean targets and track US military operations in the region. Kim did not announce a launch date.

The plan to launch military satellites comes during a time of high tensions in the region.

• The US and South Korea continue to conduct military exercises in the region, much to the chagrin of North Korea.

• The Space Force recently established a unit solely focused on the Korean peninsula.

Kim’s military: Spy satellites are just one of several new military capabilities North Korea is developing. Last week, Kim announced the country had tested a new solid-fuel ICBM that could be used for rapid military deployment during wartime.

While North Korea ventures into the military satellite domain, the US is investing billions of dollars in its SDA missile defense constellation. The constellation will play a crucial role in detecting and tracking any potential threats emanating from North Korea.

In Other News

• SpaceForge, a UK-based in-space materials manufacturing startup, announced that it plans to open manufacturing operations in the US.

• SpaceX launched a batch of 21 second-gen Starlink sats on a Falcon 9.

• Rocket Lab has certified for the first time a previously flown engine for re-flight on a future Electron mission.

• Virgin Orbit CEO says the company will launch again, despite bankruptcy.

• Space launch is disastrous for climate change.

The View from Space

We cover mergers of all types, like this new JWST image of merging galaxies.