The Space Resource Newsletter - August 2020
An artist illustration of the ispace Hakutor-R lunar lander. Planned to launch in 2022, this lander will deliver up to 30 kg to the lunar surface. ispace recently raised $28 million that will be used to fund this lander’s developmental costs. Credit: ispace.
Welcome to The Space Resource monthly newsletter for August 2020. OSIRIS-REx ready for sample collection, more lunar PSR ice than previously thought, Blue Origin ISRU job posting, and US officials getting anxious about increased Chinese space presence.
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Want to learn more about space resources? Checkout The Space Resource Report! We highlighted the major developments surrounding space resources in 2019, covering the science, technology, business, and policy developments that will invigorate humanity’s expansion into space.
Asteroids
Popular YouTube channel, Kurzgesagt, releases a visually impressive video on space resources, specifically focused on asteroid mining. This video is doing a good job of sharing the general concept of asteroid mining, along with some challenges involved. Check it out here, and share with your friends and family!
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft performed the final practice of sample return sequence. After months of analysis and preparation, OSIRIS-REx is now ready to collect a sample from the Nightingale site on the asteroid Bennu. This final practice run allowed the spacecraft to perform all maneuvers required for the collection process, including sample arm deployment, albeit at a safe distance from Bennu’s surface. It was important to perform this test because the entire process occurs autonomously due to the 16 minute radio signal travel time. The first sample collection attempt is scheduled for October 20th, with final return to Earth occurring on September 24, 2023. Bennu is a carbonaceous (C-type) asteroid, the most common asteroid type in the Solar System. C-type asteroids are of interest because they likely contain hydrated (water bearing) minerals, although their very dark surface makes them difficult to observe remotely. Collecting and returning in-situ samples will be invaluable to scientists and asteroid miners, such as TransAstra, whose asteroid mining architecture would collect a C-type asteroid.
Trojan asteroid exploration mission Lucy entering assembly, integration, and testing phase. Having completed Phase C of the mission’s life cycle, all of the components have been designed and fabricated. Once all items are assembled within Phase D, the spacecraft will be transported to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for integration with the launch vehicle. The planned launch date is in October 2021. Lucy will then travel to the main asteroid belt, where it will encounter its first target in 2025. Once complete, Lucy will visit seven Trojan asteroids and eventually a binary asteroid pair by 2033. This mission is important for characterizing primordial asteroids, which is needed for understanding and modeling asteroids, including those of interest for asteroid mining missions. Link.
MarS
Mars Society of Canada published an article summarizing Mars ISRU. With the launch of NASA Perseverance rover and it’s MOXIE instrument, we will soon have our first ISRU focused instrument on Mars that will be able to convert the Martian atmosphere into valuable oxygen and hydrogen. The entire premise of ISRU is based on utilizing local resources, bypassing the penalty and cost of the launch equation. View the full summary here.
46.8 GJ of electricity per day required to refuel SpaceX’s Starship on Mars. Twitter user @ToughSF calculated the power required to support the Sabatier and water electrolysis processes needed for methalox rocket fuel production using in-situ resources. This amount is the minimum power required to produce 420 kg of liquid methane and 1680 kg of liquid oxygen to refill 1 Starship every 2 years.
White House Executive Office memo encouraging focus in ISRU and in-space manufacturing. This memo directs US government departments and agencies to prioritize in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon and Mars, cryogenic fuel storage, in-space manufacturing, advanced space-related power, and orbital debris management. While nothing substantive may immediately come from this pronouncement, it shows that there is a voice within the executive branch knowledgeable of space resources, with potential for much more investment and favorable policies for space resources.
Moon
Lunar lander exhaust may contaminate surface ice before we even get there. A new simulation shows that water vapor from lander exhaust can disperse around the Moon within days, potentially lasting for months or longer if the water finds its way into a permanently shadowed region (PSR) cold-trap. A landing near the poles not only increases the likelihood of water vapor deposited within nearby PSRs, but also within PSRs of the opposite pole. It’s important to note that this simulation relies heavily on how ‘sticky’ the surface is towards the water vapor, which more data will help quantify. Once we start collecting in-situ measurements from PSRs, it will be important to consider lander rocket exhaust as a contaminant source. However, material from below the surface should still be contaminant free. DOI: 10.1029/2020JE006464.
New analysis shows more ice in PSRs, albeit possibly at deeper depths. Researchers produced a new model of the 2009 LCROSS impact data, identifying that the ice within the plume is greater than expected. Kevin Cannon pointed out that while this is good news for ISRU, it may put a damper on near-surface ice mining because the results likely mean the ice is deeper than initially expected (to align with the neutron data collected by the LRO spacecraft). DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114089.
TransAstra receives patent for lunar focused mobile volatile extraction system. Shown utilizing a next-gen heavy launch rocket, this proposed rover would heat surface volatiles within a PSR before trying to collect the vapors on a rotating cold trap. A drill is also shown, providing the ability to heat volatiles below the surface. When collecting volatiles, the rover body is lowered directly onto the lunar surface. Power would be collected from a laser based collector panel (depending on the wavelength, this could potentially be a normal solar panel). View the key patent figure here.
SpaceX selected to launch Masten’s lunar lander in late 2022. Called the Masten Mission One (MM1), this lander is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program which will deliver nine payloads to the Moon’s south pole. Other non-NASA payloads may also be included on this mission. Masten’s chief executive, Sean Mahoney, stated that surface viewing angles are the driving factor for payloads, instead of mass. Ideally, this is the beginning of more affordable and frequent lunar landings, enabling a flood of needed science and technology demonstration payloads to the lunar surface. Link.
Lunar lander firm ispace announced new lunar lander design and data service. ispace’s first lunar lander mission, Hakuto-R, will be completed using some of the $28 million raised in the latest funding round. It is planned to launch in 2022, having been delayed from the original 2021 date. The second lander has maintained the same 30 kg payload capacity as the first lander, albeit with about 350 kg less mass and a simpler design. More excitedly, missions after the first two will focus on higher frequency and increased payload capability, with an eye towards payloads utilizing lunar resources. Additionally, the firm announced a lunar data service, called Blueprint Moon. Link.
China is preparing for more lunar missions, including a research station. Chang’e-5 is expected to launch later this year, where it will return up to 4 kg of lunar regolith to Earth. Chang’e-6 may perform a similar role, albeit at the south lunar pole. Building upon this, Chang’e-7 will thoroughly study the lunar south pole via a suite of 23 science payloads. Some instruments will even directly study permanently shadowed regions. Chang’e-7 is planned to launch in 2024. Chang’e 8 is interesting because it is being designed for ISRU and 3D printing technology demonstrations. Further afield, China has started talks of an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which would be located at the Moon’s south pole. Initially started in the late 2020s, it would be expanded throughout the 2030s. Both Roscosmos and ESA have indicated interest in such an idea, albeit this is still in the early stages. Link.
Increasing pressure for the US to beat China to a sustained lunar presence. Multiple factions across the US government are raising awareness about the need for increased funding, development, and collaboration with regard to a sustainable US presence on the Moon. The core driver involves the expectation that the first entity to develop a long term presence on the Moon will establish precedent for norms on the Moon. With regard to space resources, this trend may increase funding for research and development, in addition to making space more bipartisan.
Terrestrial
Blue Origin posts a job opening for an ISRU Principal Technologist. This position would “lead efforts to identify, capture, develop, and demonstrate technologies in the area of [ISRU] to support Blue Origin’s vision of enabling a future where millions of people are living and working in space.” Wow! Where do I sign up?! Right here.
More than 120 US experts published a report pushing for more investment in space, including space resources. Prepared by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), the report, titled State of the Space Industrial Base 2020, contains perspectives from people in the US military, government space agencies, and the private sector. One of the core tenants of the report is the increasing presence of China within space, particularly throughout cislunar space. Lunar resources are very valuable for a sustainable cislunar presence, therefore safe access to these resources is important. The core goals of increasing the amount of resources and investments we make into space are still welcome, regardless of the geopolitical angle.
Jonathan McDowell releases the catalog of artificial space objects. Called the General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (GCAT), this public database lists nearly all known artificial space objects existing outside of Earth’s lower atmosphere. You can access the database here.
Planetary geologist Kevin Cannon joins the Center for Space Resources at Colorado School of Mines as a new Assistant Professor. Kevin was pivotal in starting Exolith Labs at University of Central Florida, which became the premier lab for manufacturing extra-terrestrial simulants. Kevin’s experience will prove invaluable when demonstrating ISRU techniques within the lab environment. Fun side note: Adam recently graduated with a MS from this program, and Josh is still a MS student in the program, while being a full time graduate researcher focused on lunar based laser power transmission technology.
SpaceX raised $2 billion, hopped Starship 150 meters, started construction on Starship’s orbital launch mount, and is building 120(!) Starlink satellites per month. All of this momentum is great for building interest and investment within the space industry. SpaceX is setting a very aggressive pace, which is forcing the space industry to either match pace or flounder (space resources won’t get off the ground if we flounder).
Arecibo radio telescope damaged by support cable break. Just a few weeks after an emergency observation of 2020 NK1, a near-Earth asteroid with very close fly-by of Earth, the telescope suffered severe damage when one of the support cables broke, smashing down onto the reflector below. NASA officials have stated that it will likely take a few months to repair the dish fully. Arecibo is a key tool used to find and characterize asteroids, which is especially important for planetary defense purposes.
