One step closer (6/14/22)

Good morning. Quick programming note: Payload will be taking Monday off for Juneteenth. We'll be back in your inbox bright and early Tuesday morning.

In today's edition...🎧 Pathfinder #0003🤠 FAA Starbase review🔗 Cybersecurity webinar 🔁 People on the move

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Pathfinder #0003: Assembling a Great Crew, ft. Lauren Lyons

Today we’re pleased to release the third episode of Pathfinder, our new weekly podcast hosted by Payload managing editor Ryan Duffy. Joining us this week is Lauren Lyons, a space industry consultant, startup advisor, and STEM evangelist.

Pathfinder is brought to you by SpiderOak Mission Systems, an industry leader in space cybersecurity. Check out their space cybersecurity white paper.

Let’s meet today’s guest

Lauren is working on a new venture, but most recently, she served as COO of Firefly Aerospace. Before that, Lauren held senior engineering roles at Blue Origin and SpaceX. While at Blue, Lauren worked on the company’s lunar lander and Orbital Reef programs.

At SpaceX, Lauren worked on Crew Dragon development/certification, launching Starlink, chief engineering and mission assurance for Falcon 9 and Dragon, and Falcon 9 mission management. She also somehow found time on the side to host SpaceX livestreams for a variety of missions, including the Emmy-winning Demo 1.

In Pathfinder #0003…

…Lauren and Ryan discuss:

💫 Her winding career path through time and space ⚕️ The parallels between medical device R&D and space🚀 Company culture’s impact on shipping space products successfully 💻 The convergence of space and software 💰 Competing with Big Tech for talent🛰️ Starting Starlink from scratch📈 Reducing the barriers to entry for space entrepreneurs🌲 The SpaceX mafia and new deeptech startups/verticals

…and more!

Where to listen?

🎙️ Get Pathfinder #0003 on Spotify📱 Listen on Apple Podcasts💻 Find #0003 online

And before we go…Pathfinder is coming to video! We’re putting the final touches on the video version of this episode, which we’ll release later today. Keep an eye out for the YouTube link, if you’d prefer watching over listening.

One Step Closer for Starship

After a long and arduous review process, the FAA has finally released its environmental assessment of SpaceX’s Starship/Super Heavy launch site in Boca Chica. The agency found that the site would have no significant impact on the local environment—and that SpaceX is essentially cleared to proceed, but with some caveats.

SpaceX will need to take 75+ different mitigation steps before the FAA will hand over the coveted license to launch from the South Texas site.

Quick recap: SpaceX’s super-heavy lift launch vehicle is assembled at the company’s Texas facility and has been awaiting licensing for its first launch attempt for months. In order to gain a license for launch, the company needed the FAA to complete an environmental assessment in accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements.

• Originally, the FAA planned to have the review completed last year.

• The agency received over 18,000 public comments it had to review.

• That took a lot of time—and delayed release of the findings by ~6 months.

About those steps…The FAA’s finding of no significant impact comes with an edict to protect the environment and to minimize the impact on the local community.

To win FAA approval, SpaceX will have to adhere to more than 75 measures, including:

• Limiting State Highway 4 closures during launch operations, including 18 holidays where closures are not permitted at all and limiting weekend closures to five per year.

• Hiring a biologist to ensure that the launch site doesn’t negatively impact wildlife, particularly sea turtles that lay eggs on the nearby beach.

• Communicating in real time with the local community about expected noise and launch activity at the site.

• Using shuttles to ferry Starbase employees to the facility to reduce traffic.

Up next: The environmental review is complete, but there are more security and safety clearances SpaceX will need before attempting an orbital launch. So far, the FAA has yet to give an estimated timeline for when these measures can be completed and a launch license granted.

Share this with that special someone who you want to take to Starbase:

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In Other News

• Momentus ($MNTS) attributed anomalies on its Vigoride-3 spacecraft to issues with an onboard deployable solar array.

• Canadian company Space Flight Laboratory demonstrated the deorbiting of a 3.5kg nanosatellite using its drag sail technology. The satellite burned up upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere ~178 years quicker than it otherwise would have.

• SpaceX raised $1.68B, short of the $1.725B it had targeted.

• AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) says SpaceX is targeting Aug. 15 for the launch of its BlueWalker 3 test satellite.

The View from the ISS

Kjell Lindgren, a NASA astronaut and Expedition 67 Flight Engineer, replaces components on the ARED, a device that simulates lifting weights on Earth to help ISS astronauts maintain muscle mass on long missions.