Tiny trash (8/3/23)

Good morning. Happy Thursday! Congrats on already making it more than halfway through the week.

In today's edition…
🧻 IARPA tracks trash
🚀 Russia’s last ride
📝 The contract report

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US Intelligence Chips In for Space Debris Tracking

IARPA, aka the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, is getting its feet wet in space awareness.

The advanced R&D arm under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced Tuesday that it is launching a new program called SINTRA (Space Debris Identification and Tracking) to find, track, and characterize the millions of tiny pieces of debris smaller than 10 cm, which are currently untrackable from the ground.

“Discovering new ways to understand the millions of man-made debris objects orbiting the Earth, especially since they are ever-increasing in number, has never been more critical to everyday life,” said SINTRA program manager Alexis Truitt in a release.

Size matters: Today’s government technology can only track debris larger than 10 cm across in LEO, and the DoD maintains a catalog of objects larger than a softball. But much, much smaller pieces of debris can do serious damage while whizzing around at 17,000 mph. Exhibit A: a paint chip cracked a window on the ISS in 2016.

Get smart: The DoD operates its own debris-tracking technologies (like the US Space Command’s Space Surveillance Network) and NASA models the distribution of debris less than 10 cm across. Both agencies also have initiatives to increase those capabilities to keep their on-orbit assets safe. On the commercial side, several space companies have developed their own space situational awareness (SSA) and space traffic management (STM) services, augmenting the data collected by the government.

On the intelligence side, though, it’s not as common to see a push to collect data on orbital debris. IARPA said this is the first time it’s tried to track small space debris.

• It comes as no surprise that space technology is essential to everyday life, and IARPA is now treating orbital debris as an existential threat to space assets that needs to be understood as such.

• “Given the rapid increase in space activity worldwide—both government and commercial—and the current state of orbital debris, small debris tracking is needed to ensure safe equipment and crew operations,” Truitt said.

The awards: Under the SINTRA initiative, IARPA awarded four initial contracts to prime contractors, who are collectively working with 12 subcontractors in academia and the private sector. The four main awardees:

• A-Tech, LLC

• Advanced Space, LLC

• SRI International

• West Virginia University Research Corporation

Each of the contractors will focus on using existing sensors, including ground radar, tracking satellites, and optical sensors to identify and track sub-10 cm debris. The program’s initial period will last four years.

Sponsored

Kepler supports out-of-this-world communications

Kepler is delivering on-orbit data at lightspeed with a constellation of optical satellites designed to act as Internet exchange points for space-to-space data relay.

The Internet-ready constellation will deliver data to and from spacecraft in real time, helping customers to get more from their data. The hybrid network will modernize on-orbit communications with a combination of SDA-standard optical technology, RF inter-satellite links, and a high-speed backhaul link to move space-generated data efficiently back to Earth.

Kepler’s services are solving the downlink bottleneck by providing real-time access to satellite data, optimized latency, and high-speed downlinking capabilities. Kepler offers customers a service-level agreement and turnkey solution to satisfy the complete communications requirements of a mission, including:

• Communications payloads for both optical and RF

• Spectrum licenses

• Security

• Ground infrastructure

• Edge computing

Kepler’s services will expand customer mission potential, solving the current and future gaps in global space communications.

Northrop Says Goodbye to Russian Engines

Northrop Grumman’s farewell launch of its Antares 230+ rocket on Tuesday marked the end of an era for Russian tech on the company’s launch vehicles.

The Antares 230+ was powered by Russia’s RD-181 engines. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the US intensified sanctions against Moscow and rocket technology transfers—including the RD-181—came to a screeching halt.

Northrop turns to Firefly: As a result, the Antares 230+ rocket headed for an early retirement. In August 2022, Northrop partnered with Firefly to build the first stage for a new Antares 330 rocket.

• The Antares 330 will be 100% American-made and is expected to launch in 2025.

ULA’s similar problem: Another Russian engine, the RD-180, also powers ULA’s Atlas V launch vehicle. While close to retirement, the Atlas V is still flying, with a joint NRO and Space Force mission scheduled for the end of the month. ULA is shifting its focus to the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle, which utilizes the American-made Blue Origin BE-4 engine.

Northrop and ULA moving to domestic supply chains closes a long chapter of Russian engines on US rockets and begins a new era focused on securing domestic supply chains.

See You In Long Beach!

​Join Payload with Bank of America, Deloitte, and Velo3D for an evening of networking on Aug. 17. Food and drinks will be provided.

Don't miss this opportunity to connect with space industry professionals. 🚀

In Other News

• US Space Command is expecting to reach full operational capacity this month.

• The UK space agency is investing an additional £15M ($19.1M) into domestic EO capabilities.

• SpaceX delayed its Crew-7 launch by five days, and is now targeting Aug. 23.

• OneWeb’s JoeySat has completed its on-orbit testing.

• NOIRLab, an NSF-operated observatory in Hawaii, detected an attempted cyberattack that forced it to halt operations.

• Northrop Grumman’s ($NOC) $36M loss on its Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) project for NASA is making leadership reconsider signing fixed-price contracts.

The View from Space

JWST is still going strong in its second year, recently snapping this stunning pic of galaxy NGC 6822, ~2M light years from Earth.