Tracking Santa (12/22/22)

Good morning. Well, it's the first day of Winter and winter solstice is in the rear-view mirror. Here in the US, we're really wasting no time: Roughly 270 million people in the lower 48 are set to be blasted by temperatures of 32°F or below (that's 0º Celsius for everyone else).

Stay warm out there, and shout out to all the space peeps who make more advanced weather forecasting systems a part of our daily lives!

In today's newsletter:🌌 Space agencies in review📝 The contract report 🎅 Tracking Santa

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Global Space Agency Recap

The world was busy in space this year. All together, there have been 174 successful orbital launches so far in 2022, and the world’s space agencies have pulled together over the course of the year to make major strides in science, technology, and exploration. Read on for our recap of the top events from space agencies around the globe.

USA: NASA had a banner year by all accounts. Between successfully deploying JWST in partnership with CSA and ESA, slamming a spacecraft into an asteroid with the DART mission, and launching Artemis I last month, NASA’s science and exploration achievements this year speak for themselves. Stay tuned for today’s edition of Parallax for a closer look at the year’s top achievements in space science.

“2022 will go down in the history books as one of the most accomplished years across all of NASA’s missions,” administrator Bill Nelson recently said.

Europe: Europe has plenty to be proud of in 2022. The war in Ukraine presented particular challenges for Europe, which depended heavily on Soyuz rockets for launch. After that access was cut off, ESA looked elsewhere for rides to orbit. Its ExoMars rover mission, for example, had to be postponed, but a recent increase in funding means that things are looking up.

• However, launch may be a challenge for the continent. ESA was project manager for the Avio-built Vega C rocket, which made its successful debut flight this year but failed during a second mission this week.

Russia: Russia’s legacy in space was marred in 2022 by the instigation of war in Ukraine. After Russia invaded the country in March, the US and Europe placed major sanctions on the country that effectively cut off nearly all cross-border supply chains and partnerships.

Roscosmos also saw a shake-up in its leadership during the year. Former director Dmitry Rogozin, known for his inflammatory remarks and threats, was replaced with Yuri Borisov, who previously held a post as deputy prime minister for defense and space.

China: China came in second in overall number of launches and mass-to-orbit in 2022, with 60 successful orbital launches. CNSA, China’s space agency, successfully completed the assembly of Tiangong, or “heavenly palace,” in LEO. The orbiting space station’s core module, Tianhe, launched last year, and the two laboratory modules, Wentian and Mengtian, launched this year.

+ There’s more where that came from. Check out the full story online for highlights from space agencies around the world and a recap from the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, where agency leaders came together to discuss launching/operating satellites, developing downstream applications for space-based data, and working with their larger counterparts.

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In Other News

• The ISS dodged a piece of space debris from a Russian Fregat-SB upper stage, delaying a planned NASA spacewalk to install a roll-out solar array.

• That spacewalk is now underway, with Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio working to install the new equipment and upgrade the ISS’s power system.

• Perseverance left its first sample from the Martian surface behind for future recovery by Mars Sample Return.

• NASA has officially retired the InSight mission after 4+ years of scientific research.

• Virgin Orbit ($VORB) received a launch license ahead of the first planned mission from Spaceport Cornwall (expected to take place no earlier than January).

• The UAE is preparing for the next “critical stages” of the first Emirati lunar mission with the Rashid rover.

• The FY2023 omnibus spending bill sets aside $25.4B for NASA, more than the $24B it received this year but less than the $26B the agency had requested.

The View from Space

The North American Aerospace Defense Command is preparing for its biggest day of the year: On Dec. 24, the Santa tracker will go live.