Seeing double (4/12/23)

Good morning. Today’s space history is two for the price of one. Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space on this day in 1961. The space shuttle also conducted its inaugural flight 20 years later in 1981.

In today's edition...🛰️ FCC opens space office🔭 Slingshot doubles sensors💸 The term sheet

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FCC Launches Space Bureau

The FCC opened its new space office on Tuesday to help the agency better consider the thousands of applications it receives each year for satellite approval and authorization of novel space activities.

The agency is currently considering more than 60,000 applications for new satellites—the largest backlog in the FCC’s history.

“This effort is part of what I believe needs to be a broader rethinking of satellite policy in the United States,” said Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the FCC. “There are now so many new technologies in the space industry, so many new applications pending before this agency, and so many more innovations on the horizon that I don’t think this agency can keep doing things the old way and thrive in the new.”

How we got here: In November, Rosenworcel announced that she would split the FCC’s International Bureau into two new offices: a Space Bureau and an Office of International Affairs. The FCC voted unanimously in January to move forward with the establishment of the new offices.

The space bureau is led by Julie Kearney, who was previously the special counsel for space law and policy at the FCC.

Top priorities: The FCC is in charge of regulating satellites and spectrum usage, approving novel space capabilities like in-space manufacturing, and keeping space debris in check by ruling on when old satellites must leave orbit. Kearney said her top priorities in the new job include modernizing regulations, supporting technical innovation, promoting space safety, and mitigating orbital debris.

Two immediate things on the bureau’s to-do list include getting input on how to process satellite applications more quickly and considering spectrum and sharing rules in non-geostationary orbit.

“We appreciate the hundreds of billions of dollars that the space launch and satellite industry are putting in the economy,” she said. “We really see that we have a key role in promoting US leadership and promoting industry and government cooperation.

Twice as Many Eyes on Space

Slingshot Aerospace announced this morning that it will add 80 new sensors by the end of the year, doubling its tracking capabilities and getting closer to its goal of building the most comprehensive space tracking network on the planet.

The story so far: CEO Melanie Stricklan founded Slingshot in 2017 to tackle the growing need for space situational awareness (SSA) and space traffic management (STM) services. The Austin-based company has been heads-down building out its capabilities on both the sensing and software side to form a one-stop shop for satellite operators to communicate about and manage their on-orbit assets.

Slingshot currently provides several products:

1. Slingshot Vantage, a day-to-night, LEO-to-GEO tracking service powered by the Global Sensor Network

2. A Space Digital Twin, which provides near-real-time tracking of satellites and debris in orbit and provides the foundation for the company’s other products

3. Slingshot Beacon, a SSA and communication platform for operators

4. Slingshot Laboratory, an astronautics training tool

The company has raised more than $80M to date, most recently closing its $40M+ Series A-2 in December. It’s also been beefing up its sensing and analytics capabilities, including acquiring Numerica’s Space Domain Awareness arm and UK-based Seradata back in August 2022.

Double, double: Slingshot unveiled plans today to add 80 new optical sensors by the end of the year, bringing the grand total to 200 sensors across 20 sites globally. Data from these sensors will supplement Slingshot Vantage, the Space Digital Twin, and, downstream, the company’s other products.

• A few of these sensors will cover the sky over the southern hemisphere, a notoriously underserved region with respect to SSA tracking capabilities.

+ While we’re here: Last week, the company announced two major hires to its executive team. Leslie Hildebrand, former Lockheed exec, joined as SVP of government biz dev and strategy, and Pieter Kreuk joined as CFO.

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In Other News

• Transporter-7 is now targeting a launch early Thursday morning.

• Spain is contributing €41.4M ($45.1M) to the construction of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope.

• South Korea plans to launch a commercial-grade satellite aboard its Nuri launch vehicle next month.

• China selected the 2019 VL5 asteroid to conduct a planetary defense deflection test in 2025.

• Rocket Lab is moving the launch of NASA’s storm-monitoring satellites from Virginia to New Zealand.

• NASA is monitoring air quality and pollution from space.

• India’s new space policy boosts industry’s role in the country’s space program.

• BBC and CNN are working on a documentary about the Columbia space shuttle disaster.

• Ariane 5, carrying the JUICE spacecraft, is fully integrated and ready for rollout ahead of its April 13 launch date.

The View from Space

Last week, Makenzie Lystrup was sworn in as director of Goddard Space Flight Center using Carl Sagan’s iconic book, Pale Blue Dot.