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The Space Resource Newsletter - January 2021

Welcome to The Space Resource monthly newsletter for January 2021. Virgin Orbit successfully launched their first payload to orbit, Blue Origin completed their 14th New Shepard flight, and SpaceX launched 134 satellites in a single launch. Most important though is the first space aged wine has returned from its year aboard the ISS, providing the select few tasters an out of this world experience. Although it’s only been one month, 2021 is off to an exciting start!

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The Space Resource Report: 2020

China dominates. Asteroid mining dies but attends its own funeral. Reusable rockets lower the cost and increase access to space. The Moon, Mars, and asteroids all get new survey maps for water resources. Water-based thrusters perform well in orbit. Asteroids are blasted and samples collected. Space mining gets more legal scaffolding. The Moon gets one new rover and two new craters.

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Surviving the Temperamental Moon

As indicated by the title of Robert Heinlein's 1966 novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, the Moon is a harsh environment to operate in. There is a scant atmosphere, abrasive dust, and extreme temperature ranges to deal with. Observed temperatures range from a blistering 127 C (260 F) in equatorial sunlight down to a frosty -238 C (-397 F) in the permanently shadowed regions of the poles. Designing missions to survive these conditions pushes current technology to its limits.

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