?? NASA’s 2024 Civil Space Technology Shortfall Ranking: Key Takeaways
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Happy Friday, Space Enthusiasts! ??
This week, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration 's Space Technology Mission Directorate released the 2024 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking, a report that identifies and ranks nearly 200 technology areas that require further development to support future space exploration, science, and other mission needs. Lunar-specific technology topped the list, making it clear that despite the undeniable innovation and progress in the sector, there is still a need for more investment and research to reach the nation's goals in space exploration.
Contributing to lunar exploration, ispace-EUROPE announced the completion of the flight model of TENACIOUS, the company's lunar micro rover that will be integrated into HAKUTO-R Mission 2 on the RESILIENCE lunar lander.
Read on to learn about TENACIOUS, the key takeaways from NASA’s 2024 Civil Space Technology Shortfall Ranking, and this week's top Space news.
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Space News Highlight ?
ispace-Europe’s Lunar Rover Ready For Integration Into HAKUTO-R Mission 2
ispace-Europe has completed the flight model of its lunar micro rover, TENACIOUS and is preparing for integration into the HAKUTO-R Mission 2 RESILIENCE lunar lander in Japan.
TENACIOUS, funded through a contract with the Luxembourg Space Agency and the European Space Agency - ESA , is the first lunar rover designed, manufactured, and assembled in Luxembourg. The rover measures 26 cm in height, 31.5 cm in width, and 54 cm in length, weighs around 5 kg, and features a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic frame designed to endure the stresses of rocket launches and space travel.
Mission 2, ispace’s second lunar exploration mission, plans to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in Winter 2024.
?? NASA’s 2024 Civil Space Technology Shortfall Ranking: Key Takeaways
NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) released the 2024 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking, a comprehensive document identifying and ranking nearly 200 technology areas that require further development to support future space exploration, science, and other mission needs. The results integrate input from a wide range of stakeholders, including NASA mission directorates and centers, industry entities, government agencies, academia, and individual experts in the space sector.
Background
In April 2024, NASA published an overview of 187 technology shortfalls and sought input from the aerospace community to rate their importance. The goal was to identify the most critical technical challenges to guide NASA's technology development and investment strategies. The shortfalls span 20 capability categories, including Advanced Habitat Systems, Autonomous Systems and Robotics, and Thermal Management Systems.
Top-Ranked Technology Shortfalls
The integrated ranking highlights the most critical technology shortfalls. The top five are:
NASA's Key Findings and Future Plans
NASA's release of the 2024 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking document aims to align the space technology development efforts across various stakeholders and identify where to allocate resources including funding.
NASA actively engages with private companies through various funding opportunities to advance its mission objectives and foster innovation in space exploration. The agency offers grants, contracts, and partnerships to commercial entities, enabling them to develop new technologies, conduct research, and contribute to NASA's goals in areas including lunar exploration, in-orbit operations, PNT applications, and robotics.
Key findings from the 2024 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking initiative and future plans include:
Strong Consensus
There was significant agreement among stakeholders on the top 30 most important shortfalls.
Strategic Investments
The interdependence of many shortfalls underscores the need for strategic investments across multiple areas to maintain U.S. leadership in space technology.
Portfolio Evaluation
STMD is assessing its current technology development efforts against the integrated list to identify potential adjustments.
Collaborative Approach
The ranking process demonstrates NASA's commitment to working across directorates and with external partners to address future architecture needs.
Annual Updates
NASA plans to refine the process and results annually, ensuring the approach remains relevant and useful for guiding space technology endeavors.
This initiative represents a collaborative effort to address critical technological challenges in space exploration, fostering innovation and strategic development across the aerospace community.
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Space Industry Quote of the Week ??
"Identifying consensus among challenges across the aerospace industry will help us find solutions, together. This is the groundwork for strengthening the nation's technological capabilities to pave the way for new discoveries, economic opportunities, and scientific breakthroughs that benefit humanity."
- Jim Free, NASA Associate Administrator, discussing the importance of the 2024 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking initiative.
Weekly Space News Roundup ??
NordSpace announced a $5 million investment in developing the first phase of Spaceport Canada, the nation’s first operational spaceport. The spaceport will be designed to support the Tundra launch vehicle and partner launch vehicles under the forthcoming Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) between Canada and the United States. Over the next decade, the project is expected to create 650 highly qualified jobs and generate $2.5 billion in economic development. The company plans to announce the selected location for Spaceport Canada ahead of the second launch of its experimental suborbital vehicle.
NASA’s radar antenna reflector for the NISAR satellite, a key part of a joint mission with the ISRO - Indian Space Research Organisation , is almost ready. The drum-shaped reflector is about 39 feet (12 meters) across and will help the NISAR satellite send and receive microwave signals from Earth’s surface. NISAR will scan nearly all of Earth’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, gathering important science data. After testing, NASA will move the reflector to an ISRO facility in Bengaluru, India. There, teams from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and ISRO will reintegrate it with the radar system.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched its final national security mission using an Atlas V rocket on July 30, 2024, marking the end of an era for the use of Russian-made engines in U.S. military space missions. ULA is now shifting its focus to the next-generation Vulcan rocket, which uses domestically produced engines as the company transitions?to all-American launchers for national security missions.
While this marks the final national security mission for the Atlas V, the rocket still has 15 more commercial and non-defense missions scheduled, including crewed launches. ULA’s next major step is the second certification flight of the Vulcan rocket, planned for September 2024.
Singapore-based rocket propulsion and launcher company Equatorial Space has raised $1.5 million in pre-Series A funding. The new funding will help the company develop its Dorado-sounding rockets and build a static firing test facility in Hidden Valley, Northern Territory. The company plans to start orbital launch services by 2026.
CACI International has secured a ten-year expertise contract worth up to $450 million to support the U.S. Space Force’s Joint Navigation Warfare Center. Under this contract, CACI will provide 24/7 operations support, joint and operational planning, adversary positioning, navigation, timing capability and order of battle assessment. These efforts aim to enhance the Navigation Warfare requirements of the joint force, DoD combatant commanders, interagency, and allied partners.
GalaxEye has secured $6.5 million in its ongoing Series A funding round. The company aims to launch the world’s first multi-sensor earth observation satellite and develop a constellation of micro-satellites with advanced data fusion capabilities. The new funds will support the launch of Galaxeye’s first satellite, Drishti Mission, scheduled for mid-2025 and support team expansion.
Curvalux has secured a strategic investment from the Subnational Climate Fund (SCF) , managed by Pegasus Capital Advisors . The investment will enhance the production and delivery of Curvalux’s sustainable high-speed wireless products to communities lacking essential internet access, including those without electricity. This collaboration aims to empower local communities through sustainable broadband access while also reducing carbon emissions from inefficient telecommunication systems.
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