SpaceNews This Week | Bad coordinates led Ariane 5 astray; National Space Council backs incremental reform; Budget proposal continues Europa Debate

February 23, 2018 View this email in your browser Bad coordinates led Ariane 5 launch astray, investigators conclude Caleb Henry, WASHINGTON —  The Ariane 5 rocket that deviated from its expected flight path Jan. 25 and lost contact with ground control was fed the wrong coordinates, according to the independent commission Arianespace tasked last month to find out what caused the close call. Both telecommunications satellites onboard the rocket safely reached orbit despite the flight anomaly but will need to burn additional fuel to reach their perch some 36,000 kilometers above the equator.  The European Space Agency-led independent enquiry commission concluded that Ariane 5's inertial navigation system was fed the wrong azimuth. That sent the rocket 20 degrees off course, causing alarm nine and a half minutes into the mission when Ariane 5 left the view of the ground station monitoring its intended path. More launch headlines  SpaceX launches pair of its demo internet satellites with Spanish radar satellite   Vector planning first orbital launch this summer   NASA certifies Falcon 9 for science missions National Space Council backs incremental space regulatory reform Jeff Foust, WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence and members of the National Space Council approved a series of recommendations Feb. 21 that make modest, and expected, reforms to regulations of commercial space activities. The Council, meeting at the Kennedy Space Center in its second public session since being reestablished last June, approved a set of four recommendations intended to streamline licensing and other regulatory activities that both government officials and industry witnesses warned could slow down emerging space ventures. "But while American industry and technology have leaped towards the future, our government agencies too often have remained stuck in the past," Pence said, citing regulatory uncertainty for new space activities like satellite servicing as well as "outdated regulatory processes." More National Space Council headlines Council discusses space threats and opportunities posed by China   Space strategy review could lead to changes in how Air Force buys technologies NASA budget proposal continues debate on when and how to launch Europa Clipper Jeff Foust, WASHINGTON — NASA's fiscal year 2019 proposal will likely set up another showdown between NASA and Congress regarding the Europa Clipper mission, debating not only when to launch the spacecraft but also how. The 2019 budget proposal, released Feb. 12, offers $264.7 million for the mission, which would send the spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter and make dozens of flybys of Europa, the potentially habitable icy moon of the giant planet. That's down from the $425 million the administration requested for the mission in 2018. Congress has yet to pass a final appropriations bill for fiscal year 2018, more than four and a half months into the current year. The mission received $237.4 million in 2017, and a House version of a 2018 appropriations bill provided $495 million to be shared by Europa Clipper and a follow-on lander that is still in an early phase of studies. That bill came out of the commerce, justice and science appropriations subcommittee, whose chairman, Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas), is a vigorous advocate for missions to Europa. More civil space headlines NASA foresees human lunar landings by the late 2020s   CASIS president to step down   NASA's new carbon-monitoring instruments promise first-class science at steerage-class prices Wilson: Airmen must get creative if they want to beat China and Russia Sandra Erwin, ORLANDO, Florida — Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson warned young airmen that in a future war against a near peer rival, they should be prepared to fight without technologies that most consider essential, like GPS navigation and satellite phone lines. Rival nations like China and Russia are developing advanced missiles and electronic weapons to target U.S. military space-based communications, command and control networks, intelligence analysts have reported. For better or worse, the most wired generation that ever lived will eventually have to deal with this problem. Wilson called this the reality of preparing the military for the age of "great power competition." "Our relative advantage in air and space power is being challenged," Wilson said in a keynote speech Thursday at the Air Force Association's air warfare symposium. More military space headlines  Key hurdle cleared for York Space Systems and U.S. Army small satellite launch   As space launch business heats up in Florida, Air Force commander Wayne Monteith tries to break records   The end of SBIRS: Air Force says it's time to move on   Plan to modernize air and space systems takes Air Force out of its comfort zone   Satellite communications firms remain vigilant as cyber threats evolve   Air Force space budget choices under scrutiny; SecAF Wilson explains why SBIRS and JSTARS must go Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Advertise with Us | Privacy Policy | Subscribe Copyright © 2018 SpaceNews Inc., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: SpaceNews Inc. 1414 Prince St, Suite 204 Alexandria, VA 22314