A real image taken of the backside of Intelsat 901 by the MEV-1 spacecraft, with Earth in the background. MEV-1 will extend the operational life of Intelsat 901 by five years. Credit: Northrop Grumman.

Welcome to The Space Resource monthly newsletter for February 2020. In-orbit satellite servicing was demonstrated by MEV-1, a neural network identifies potentially hazardous objects, and subsurface radar scans on the far side of the Moon.

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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.

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Asteroids

A neural network identifies potentially hazardous objects on its own. The model was trained using fake objects launched from Earth’s surface and integrated backward in time by 10,000 years. This training corpus allowed the model to learn what objects pose a threat to Earth. To evaluate how effective the model was at predicting a potential object impact over the next 20,000 years, the entire asteroid population was processed with the model. Amazingly, the model flagged roughly 90% of the objects identified by NASA as potentially hazardous. Additionally, a few objects were identified as an impact risk that NASA did not label as a potential hazard, likely due to the model handling uncertain orbits better than NASA’s monte carlo model. Novel machine learning models like this promise clever solutions for increasing our knowledge of asteroids, specifically the evolution of ice bearing asteroids. You can view the neural network code here. DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201935983.

Cislunar

Geostationary communication satellite given new lease on life. The Northrop Grumman Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-1) successfully linked with the 19 year old Intelsat 901 satellite that was in a graveyard orbit. Intelsat 901 had only a few months worth of fuel, which is essential for orbit adjustments. MEV-1 will be able to provide five extra years of operational life by using its own propulsion system for maneuvers. Afterward, it will return Intelsat 901 to a graveyard orbit and then aid another on satellite in need. This mission is novel because Intelsat 901 was not designed for docking, yet MEV-1 successfully performed a docking. Satellite servicing missions like this provide a new business case for extending the lives of orbital assets, in-orbit maintenance, and orbit changing services. While not financially feasible yet, this mission proves the technology is capable. Link.

Earth captured a temporary asteroid. Designated as 2020 CD3, the 1.9-3.5 meter object entered into an unstable orbit around Earth recently. Some studies indicate that Earth likely has at least one temporary asteroid in orbit at any one time. These objects would make ideal targets for near-term asteroid mining missions.

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Mars

InSight records almost daily seismic events on Mars. From September 2019 until February 2020, more than 450 marsquakes have been observed. They are generally of smaller magnitude than those observed on Earth, however, a few have had a magnitude between 3 and 4. While Mars does not have tectonic plates, volcanically active regions can cause quakes (boulders rolling down inclines can also be detected). InSight is in a geographically quiet area, but the Cerberus Fossae region about 1,500 km away has caused some of the largest quakes detected so far. Understanding the seismic conditions on Mars not only increases our knowledge of the geologic history, but allows us to better understand the conditions future missions to Mars will experience.

JAXA started development of a Phobos sample return mission. The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission will visit both Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, then perform a sample-return at Phobos. This will be the first spacecraft dedicated to visiting both Martian moons. An international collaboration with CNES, DLR, and NASA will provide instruments and a rover for the mission. Expected to launch in 2024 onboard the new Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-3 rocket, MMX will arrive at Mars in 2025. After landing and collecting the sample on Phobos, MMX will collect the sample and return it to Earth in 2029. This mission will provide an excellent opportunity for potentially accessing a sample of Mars before any dedicated Mars sample return mission occurs. Link.

Moon

Subsurface radar scans on the far side of the Moon. The Chinese Yutu-2 rover used its Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) to peer down 40 meters into the lunar regolith. This is three times the depth of the previous subsurface measurement from Chang’e 3. The team has concluded that the subsurface is composed of highly porous granular materials embedded with boulders of different sizes. This data helps scientists understand the evolution of the Moon, and aids missions that plan to process the regolith for resources. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay6898.

ESA developing a lunar ice drill and miniature laboratory. Called Prospect, the drill and lab combination will provide in-situ sampling of regolith at the south lunar pole. The drill, called ProSEED, is a percussion drill capable of burrowing up to two meters into the regolith to collect icy material. The miniature lab, called ProSPA, will then be able to parse the chemical composition of ice from the fine lunar dust. These instruments will fly on the Roscosmos Luna 27 mission, expected to launch in 2025. Link.

NASA seeking delivery options for VIPER rover. The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) is an exploration rover that will survey resources in permanently shadowed areas on the Moon’s south pole. The task order NASA issued includes delivery of VIPER to the lunar surface on a CLPS lander. Originally planned for early January, NASA delayed issuing the task order until late February to allow more time to accommodate refinements to the rover. VIPER is scheduled to be delivered to the Moon’s south pole by 2023.

Terrestrial

SpaceX announces partnership to send paying tourists into space by 2022. Space Adventures, the firm who has sent eight tourists to the International Space Station (ISS), will signup high net worth individuals who would pay more than $20 million each for the trip. SpaceX will use Crewed Dragon to send tourists to an orbit of up to 1,200 km, about three times the ISS orbit. While not cheap, this package would be slightly more adventurous than competing space tourism offerings.

Deorbit tether technology preparing for 2020 demonstrations. Space debris mitigation is an important process for ensuring cislunar space continues to be a safe and operational place for space assets. The aid this process, deorbiting satellites at their end of life limits the risk of dead satellites colliding with other objects. Deorbit tethers provide an active technology for accelerating the deorbit time of small satellites. Tests from Aurora Propulsion Technologies and Tethers Unlimited will demonstrate two deorbit tape products this year.

In-space robotic assembly mission receives NASA funding. Maxar Technologies was awarded $142 million to develop the Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER), which is a five meter robotic arm. As part of the Restore-L mission, it will assemble a three meter communication antenna and a ten meter composite beam. Robotic technology like this will be critical to future in-space manufacturing and assembly of large structures. Link.

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