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The recent NSTXL selection to handle space technology ventures for the United States Space Force is being reevaluated following reports that a Texas judge determined the company behaved unlawfully in a disagreement with a business associate. The Washington Post first reported the Nov. 24 decision against NSTXL by a judge in Harris County, Texas, on December 30. The Arlington, Virginia-based NSTXL is short for the National Security Technology Accelerator. On December 31, the Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles decided to formally assign a contract to run the Space Enterprise Consortium to NSTXL. That is on hold, however, said Capt.

Kaitlin Toner, a spokeswoman for the Center for Space and Missile Systems. “To better investigate this litigation, SMC (Space and Missile Systems) intends to withhold the award,” Toner stated in response to SpaceNews. Toner added SMC contracting officers would carry out an analysis, and it’s not sure how long it’ll take. “The Space Enterprise Consortium is a leading instrument in the space defense arena for industry engagement as well as rapid prototype production, so we are focused on doing our thorough research in thoroughly evaluating this matter,” she continued.

Earlier this month, SMC announced that NSTXL, a non-profit organization that links commercial companies with government buyers, was chosen to operate the Space Enterprise Consortium, recognized as SpEC. This consortium grant contracts to companies that operate quicker than conventional government contracts to produce technology prototypes under arrangements identified as the Other Transaction Authority (OTAs). Charleston, an Advanced Technology International Company which is based in South Carolina, is the new SpEC manager. A five-year deal was awarded to the company in 2017 to oversee projects worth up to $100 million.

Due to the increasing demand for prototyping of space technologies, Space and Missile Systems Center has agreed to increase SpEC’s approved financing to development projects worth $12 billion within the next ten years. In March, a request for proposals for the consortium contractual agreement was released, and in November, the evaluation plan was completed. The existing SpEC agreement with ATI “has hit its overall ceiling value and could no longer be used to approve new prototype works,” Toner added, so it would have to be re-competed. The contracts already approved will continue to be operated by ATI.

The United States Air Force developed the SpEC to encourage start-ups and private space firms to compete for military programs. At present, the consortium comprises 457 participants, many of whom are start-ups, small companies as well as academic institutions. In the lawsuit against business associate TechConnect, NSTXL stated it is appealing the judge’s decision. In a December 30 release, NSTLX noted that the Washington Post report “illustrated an ongoing civil issue about a legal battle with a previous event and conference contractor that was terminated almost 3 years ago and it has no connection whatsoever with our continuing work with Department of Defense.”

A recent mission launch from SpaceX’s launchpad is the latest talk in the space exploration scene. The launch marks SpaceX’s 26th launch this year, the highest number of launches recorded in a single year by the company. However, this launch not only gains novelty for being the launch of the highest number for the company, but it is also the third launch handed by SpaceX’s trusted Falcon 9 booster rocket. The rocket is a marvel as it sets to show SpaceX’s vision for reusable rocket parts is possible.

The booster works by blasting to space and guiding itself back to earth, different from traditional thrusters that crashed ago, rendering them unusable. The booster managed to land at SpaceX has designated Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This launch marks the booster’s 50th operation since 2015, when the company first tested its booster recovery technology.

The engine’s return landing works by conducting self-correcting burns on its way down using a combination of thrusts slowly descending to touch down on its prescheduled landing pad. The engine first detaches itself from the primary cargo to do a balancing dance routine of thrusts. The launch took advantage of SpaceX’s land-based landing pad, although the company has a backup of drone landing ships, namely “Of Course I Still Love You” and the other “Just Read the Instructions.” 

Both ships were unavailable following their involvement, returning previously launched thrusters. “Just Read the Instructions” is currently returning the previously launched thruster that launched the Sirius XM satellite mission. Meanwhile, “Of Course I Still Love You” sits on standby, waiting for engagement following a scheduled launch in the future. The ships land the collected thrusters at the Florida based port Canaveral then scheduled for transportation back to SpaceX Centre for examination before being repurposed for the next launch.

However, the launch gained most recognition from being shrouded in mystery following a directive launch from the National Reconnaissance Office. This launch was unique as it marked the second stance of the agency’s deviation from dependency on the government launch systems for less costly alternatives. The first NRO-SpaceX launch occurred in May 2017 during the NROL-76 mission. 

This Falcon 9 rocket launch also marks SpaceX’s deviation from a predefined tradition of firing up the engines for a test. The company usually holds down the rock to the pad and conducts a routine test on all nine rocket engines to ascertain their functionality. However, for this launch, SpaceX chose to skip the test, opting to go for a straight launch.

People have often gazed at the stars, curious at the essence of the visible things in the darkness of space. By designing satellites and making progress in computing and other technology in the 20th century, the rocket launched the equipment, humans, and animals beyond the Earth’s surface. However, even before electronics, space travel has already caught many individuals’ eyes, not only airplane pilots and researchers but also authors and musicians. 

Additionally, in reaction to alleged threats by the United States, China started nuclear and missile programs. Nevertheless, China’s first spacecraft crew started some years later after Yang Liwei’s effective 2003 flight onboard Shenzhou 5 resulted in a rapid technological advancement phase. This success rendered China the third nation to launch human beings into orbit independently. Proposals involve a secure space station for China in 2022 and crewed Lunar missions. The officials have proposed lengthy plans to use earth-moon trajectory for economic production. 

On the other hand, following an effective entrance and arrival of the Chang’e-5 return spacecraft, China recovered useful moon specimens. In the grassland of Banner, at 12:59 p.m., the spacecraft, which contains about two kilograms of bored and gobbled moon content, settled. The rescue vehicles found the capsule immediately after landing.

The recovery completes the 23-day Chang’e-5 space portion designed to sample crystal fossils, which were considered thousands of years earlier than those previously supported by other space countries like the Apollo. Although the samples are sent to a specially built facility, Chang’e-5 provides additional investigation, examination, and preservation in Beijing.

Given autonomous space technology, the project was China’s greatest challenge. The Chang’e-5 and the recent major Chang’e flights were initially intended as the third of 3 stages towards circling the surface, landing, and sampling the Moon. The expanded lunar scanning process includes Chang’e-7 and 8 moon landing programs in the upcoming years. It is intended to set up an International Lunar Research Station as a prerequisite for astronaut landing sites in the early to late 2020s. Sample reversal technologies and experiences from Chang’e-5 are therefore to be used for specimen reversal flights around the planet, asteroid, and Mars earlier in the year. Observers expect the difficulty of the Chang’e-5 task model to be tied to potential moon aspirations. Authentication of the sample age supports theories of advanced eruptions in certain parts of the Moon, and compositional research can offer guidance into its explanations.

Blue Origin is setting up an advisory board to advise the organization on its long-term view of space growth, including a retired Air Force secretary as well as retired NASA center managers. The corporation revealed on December 1 that, as per a firm statement, it was setting up a 7-person advisory board that would offer “strategic advice on the organization’s goals to significantly lower the cost of space access and the use of the in-space services.” Bob Smith, who serves as the chief executive officer of Blue Roots, said the board would support the mission in the future, offer them counsel on their strategic projects as well as function as technical consultants to their management team.

Many of the board members are retired government employees as well. They entail Heather Wilson, a retired Air Force Secretary; Kari A. Bingen, a former Deputy Undersecretary who was in charge of Defense for the Intelligence and Security; and former Deputy Director of the Office of National Reconnaissance, Maj. Gen. Sue Mashiko. Charles Elachi, retired NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Chief, as well as Todd May, retired NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director, is on the advisory board. 

The board’s structure suggests that they will help Blue Origin attract more government work. For the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 race, Blue Origin submitted the Latest Glenn launch vehicle yet lost to Unified Launch Alliance and SpaceX. Blue Origin is among the three NASA HLS (Human Landing System) award companies to build crewed lunar landers for the agency’s Artemis program. Still, NASA will probably not get the full support it requested for Human Landing System in its budget plan for the 2021 financial year needed to hold the program on track.

Why they wanted these people to be part of the advisory board was not revealed by Blue Origin. A company source, talking on the background, stated that it selected individuals best matched with its values as an organization, offered experiences and viewpoints that they need, and reflected their market diversity. Also, the organization did not share specifics about how the board would operate. A company source further said daily board meetings with the Blue Origin management and additional talks would take place as required.

The board of advisory full roster will include Kari A. Bingen, Dr. Charles Elachi, Dr. Dan Hastings, Maj. Gen. Sue Mashiko, Todd May, Bill Smith, and Hon. Heather Wilson, who serves as President at the University of Texas, served as Secretary of the United States Air Force and also was in the House of Representatives. 

Humans have successfully returned to Earth with asteroid samples for two times now. The space booster carrying these pristine asteroid pieces of Ryugu landed at the Woomera Prohibited Area approximately 500 kilometers northwest of Australia’s Adelaide city. The samples came down from the asteroid via Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission, which was observing the pristine asteroid Ryugu close to one year ending November last year. 

The previous Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully returned to Earth with rock samples of the Itokawa asteroid over ten years ago. Nevertheless, the first Hayabusa spacecraft collected about 100 mg of sample material from a C-type asteroid. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) executives revealed that their studies indicated the materials of Earth’s rock samples, the ocean, and other life are like pieces separated from the solar system’s contact unit. The officials added that the samples they have collected from these asteroids would reveal to them the likely evolution of the solar system to what it has become. 

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft weighing 690 kilograms was first deployed six years ago before a similar mission took the waves two years ago, venturing Ryugu. The spacecraft explored Ryugu sending numerous mini-missions called MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout) probes to the asteroid’s surface to scoop the samples and bring them back to the spacecraft. These mini-missions are a product of the partnership between the German Aerospace Center and the French space agency CNES. 

The primary Hayabusa2 space ship conducted two voyages to the Ryugu surface. The first mission took plenty of the asteroid’s surface material after plucking 10 meters into the surface. The next mission gathered the material that they recently ploughed on the asteroid. The samples from the two trips are isolated in different units for comparison purposes since these materials are products of weathering by space radiation and the other a result of ploughing into the deep of the asteroid. 

The samples started making their way back to Earth via the spacecraft in November last year. JAXA officials narrated that Hayabusa2 spacecraft made a trajectory burn heading for Earth before another maneuver keeping them in the projection to land on Earth. The spacecraft finally landed on Earth this year with the help of a parachute. The recovery crew collected the booster via a helicopter. The review team will be transferring the samples to the JAXA’s Extraterrestrial Sample Curation Center in Japan for further analysis. The center is designed to gather cosmic material and studying them to increase the body of knowledge in this sector. 

Finally, the JAXA officials are preparing to receive the samples collected from Mars in the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) that will be happening four years from now. The mission will recover the samples and drop them to Earth for further experimentation.