Trouble (03/31/23)

Good morning and welcome to the 143 of you who have joined us since last week. We hope to see some of you next week in Maryland, where Jacqueline and Ari will be attending Sea Air Space. Reach out if you want to connect!

Also, be sure to read to the bottom of today’s newsletter (though you always do, right?) to cast your vote for the astronaut most likely to be tapped for Artemis II on Monday!

In today's edition...🚀 $ASTR Q4 results🔒 SDA’s first launch 📚 Weekend reading recs

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Astra Announces Q4 and FY2022 Losses

Astra ($ASTR) reported significant financial setbacks in FY22, but brought in $9.4M in revenue. The launch company’s engine sales drove income as Rocket 4 nears launch test readiness.

Astra’s Q4, by the numbers:

• Revenue of $0.0M

• GAAP net loss of $44.3M

• Cash of $102.8M

Times of trouble: It’s been a tough year for Astra. Last week, the company outlined a plan to prevent Nasdaq from delisting its stock as the April 4 deadline nears and the price is still well below $1. If successful, this will buy Astra until Oct. 1 to raise its stock price. In November, Astra laid off 16 percent of its workforce to increase runway and decrease spending.

Engine orders: Astra delivered its third engine program in 2022, which brought in $3.5M in contract value. The launch company also announced 278 engine orders through March 30, bringing in around $77M in contract value.

SDA Tranche 0 Waits on the Pad

The Space Development Agency is all about moving fast, but getting its first batch of satellites off the ground aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 will have to wait a little longer after Thursday’s launch was unexpectedly scrubbed three seconds before liftoff.

SDA announced Friday morning that the expected launch attempt at 10:29 am ET today from Vandenberg Space Force Base would not happen. SpaceX is "working quickly to resolve issues discovered during yesterday's launch attempt," SDA said in a tweet. The agency didn't provide any info about when the next launch attempt would be.

What’s on board? Ten satellites are sitting atop the Falcon 9, including eight communications satellites that will make up the transport layer, and two missile warning satellites to begin building SDA’s tracking layer, according to Derek Tournear, the head of the SDA. When it’s completed, the agency’s Tranche 0 will include 28 satellites–20 for communications and eight for tracking. The remaining 18 satellites are expected to launch in June.

Some background: The Space Development Agency was established in 2019 with the mandate to quickly get new space tech to the battlefield. The agency plans to launch a small number of satellites, known as “tranches,” every other year to build a proliferated LEO constellation over time. Tranche 0 is intended to demonstrate the viability of the SDA’s plan for quick iteration, while also boosting defense comms and missile detection.

“We’re right at two-and-a-half years from order to orbit, so we’re pretty excited to show that the model actually does work,” Tournear told reporters on Wednesday.

The cost: The total cost of Tranche 0 is just under $1B, Tournear said. That includes 28 satellites, ground infrastructure, launch, and operations and maintenance expenses through 2025.

What’s next: Tournear said he expects it will take “single digit weeks” to complete testing and initial calibrations on the satellites in this launch. At that point, service members should have additional capabilities, including Link 16 radio communications from space once it’s approved by the FAA. Tournear also said he expects the tracking satellites to conduct their first missile warning test flight in Spring of 2024.

Further in the future, officials said Tranche 1 is still on schedule to launch in 2024.

Sponsored

Article: Transitioning space propulsion to a nitrous-based industry standard

A few weeks ago, for the first time, the US Space Force requested $60M over the next two years for its tactically responsive space program. As tactically responsive space continues to gain momentum as a funding priority, propulsion technology will have to catch up. Satellites will have to be ready to launch within 24 hours notice, meaning satellite propellant loading must be seamless.

Enter nitrous oxide

Yes, just like in Fast & Furious. Nitrous-based systems are the fastest-growing category of green propulsion in the commercial space market.

The future success of the space industry’s supply chain depends on standardizing all aspects of a space mission, from human safety to the oxidizer used with fuel. This collective piece dives into how nitrous oxide is the optimal choice featuring input from:

• Eric Anderson of And One Technologies

• Max Haot of Vast

• Stefan Powell of Dawn Aerospace

• Tom Mueller of Impulse Space

• Umair Siddiqui of Phase Four

In Other News

• Virgin Orbit has laid off 90% of its workforce and is shutting down for the foreseeable future, CNBC reports.

• NASA opened its new Moon to Mars Program Office in DC.

• Korea will attempt the third launch of its Nuri rocket in May or June.

• Starburst opened a new office for its aerospace and defense accelerator in DC.

• Momentus ($MNTS) successfully performed a maneuver of its Vigoride-5 spacecraft using a solar- and water-powered microwave electrothermal thruster.

• Correction: UKSA brought in £17.5B ($19.0B) of income in 2021, and employed 1,800 more people. We apologize for shortchanging our friends across the pond.

POLL: Who is heading to the Moon?

On Monday, NASA will reveal the four astronauts–three Americans and one Canadian–who will be on board next year’s 10-day Artemis II mission to lunar orbit.

Today, we’re asking you to look into your crystal ball and predict which American astronaut will most likely be tapped for the Artemis II crew, selecting from a list of top contenders compiled by CNN. Be sure to vote below, and we’ll share your picks on Monday morning before NASA’s big reveal.