Space to Grow

Blaine Curcio is the Founder of Orbital Gateway Consulting and a foremost expert on the Chinese space sector. His podcast, Dongfang Hour, provides essential information on the Chinese space program from Chinese sources. Space to Grow’s Chris Blackerby and Charity Weeden recently got the opportunity to chat with Blaine and talk about all things space exploration in China.Is the Chinese space program shrouded in mystery, or is this a perception issue in the West? Weeden wanted to know the facts from the cloud of misinformation.“One thing I hear a lot is this assumption that the Chinese government is omnipotent,” Curcio said. “If they say, for example, build us a 5,000 satellite LEO broadband constellation, there’s an impression that will just get done tomorrow, and there are no questions asked; at the end of the day, that’s an oversimplification in the sense that you do have in this system a lot of different competing forces, factions, and entities that have their own interests. And you have incentives that don’t make it that easy.”For the past decade, China’s made a significant investment in space, technology, resources, and funding. And they show no signs of slowing down with ambitious plans over the next several years. They plan to complete the International Lunar Research Station in the next fifteen years. “If we look at plans like that, that seems extremely ambitious,” Curcio said. “And I think the space station has some interesting potential to expand in the medium to long-term.”One difference between the Chinese space program and The United States is the coordination of efforts. The US tends to lead national efforts run by NASA, and China takes a more siloed approach with various companies working with local and provincial governments. Without a top-down coordinated attempt, Curcio said some of China’s plans for space could experience difficulties.

Peter Beck launched Rocket Lab in 2006 in New Zealand. Though his background isn’t traditional, he knew he wanted to build rickets from a young age. He quickly developed international partnerships and expanded with venture capitalists in 2014. Since 2014, the company has doubled in size every year. Today, Rocket Lab has more than a thousand employees. Beck said, “we made quite a few acquisitions last year, and we doubled that way.”Rocket Lab requires the best of the best from its partners, and some of those partnerships have led to acquisitions. After long held relationships, Beck recognized the best in class and grew the Rocket Lab family. With US Headquarters and operating in New Zealand and a couple of other countries, Beck said,  “we’ve been global since day one and we’re used to operating in various hemispheres.” In addition to expecting the best in class, Rocket Lab prioritizes sustainability. The launch company is exploring ways to make their rockets more sustainable, both by decreasing the stage times of the rockets and by transitioning elements into working satellites while in orbit. Beck knows that the entire industry has to adapt to become more sustainable. “There’s technology to sustain space, but it’s better not to get there in the first place,” said Beck.History of space exploration has accumulated dead rockets in orbit. Leaving the upper stages with huge mass in orbit, “is not cool,” said Beck. According to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, “the Earth’s orbital space environment constitutes a finite resource that is being used by an increasing number of States, international intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental entities.” Hence, the focus on transformative elements so that Rocket Lab vehicles can lead the industry in responsible launching.The majority of the work for sustainability has to be done by governments and authorities. “As a launch provider we’re a glorified freight company,” said Beck. It’s a logistical nightmare for regulation to fall onto the freight company. “There’s not cohesive framework there, there has to be a global regulation.” According to the Secure World Foundation, space sustainability requires international cooperation, discussion and agreements designed to ensure that outer space is safe, secure, and peaceful. Addressing increasing complexity of space operations requires international cooperation.

The expanse of space, the wondrous and eerie world that very few individuals have experienced. In this episode, Chris Blackerby and Charity Weeden talk to Ellen Stofan, Under Secretary of Science and Research at the Smithsonian, about the future of space exploration in the government and private sectors, the public.Stofan’s career in space was destined when she was four years old and watched a launch of the ATLAS-CENTAUR. Her father was an engineer on the rocket. However, the rocket exploded, and the vast mushroom cloud made four-year-old-Stofan remember the moment forever. The explosion was an unfortunate outcome, and it’s important to remember that a test flight that produces knowledge is not a failure.She said that launches are one of her favorite parts of her job, but to this day, she gets nervous. “It’s an overwhelming feeling when the hardware you worked on is out in space,” chimed in the host, Blackerby. “When we launched our first satellite in March of last year, [it] was so emotional.”Stofan became interested in geology and soon realized that geology and space go hand in hand. Stofan became Chief Scientist at Nasa, where her focus was getting Nasa Data into the hands of people worldwide to help combat climate change.Today, Stofan believes that this decade will be vital in determining the future of space exploration. As private investments into the expanse become the norm, the government will be able to shift its focus to further investigation, like Mars. Determining and applying something like the Leeds Standards [sustainability-focused practices in the building industry] to space building and exploration is necessary to establishing space sustainability. Sustainability will be required, from how space crafts are disposed of to entering and exiting orbit. Since space is a global common, authority is undetermined. The public will play a vital role in ensuring that sustainable practices happen immediately.

In this bonus content, hosts Chris Blackerby and Charity Weeden sit down to discuss kinetic ASAT tests in space and possible silver-linings that came from the most recent test. The November 2021 Russian ASAT (Anti-Satellite) test shed unprecedented light onto the space community and is estimated to have produced almost 1700 pieces of debris in the 600km range, close to Earth, which was spread throughout other orbital regimes. Not only did this test launch international attention on debris in space, but it reaffirmed uncertainty in operating in space for many private and public space entities. Space debris, or space “junk” as it is commonly referred to, can range from outdated satellites, to tiny fragments of broken up objects, similar to what the Russian ASAT test created. The junk clogs up orbital pathways and can cause unforeseen structural damage to orbiting or launching objects. As such, many companies, including Astroscale have condemned ASAT tests in the industry as irresponsible behavior. While space debris continues to orbit, Blackerby highlighted some silver-linings on the situation, “It’s awareness…when do we see the non-space media and community get in…We had recognition by politicians around the world that this was bad.” Though not catastrophic in the near-term, the test created so much debris that the resulting awareness in the international community can be viewed as a positive aspect, but not one that the space industry wants to repeat as a normative action. On ASAT tests, Weeden was firm that we can not allow this activity to, “live in the space environment.” Space actors can not continue doing these tests and apologizing as if they do not have any future, long-term consequences.“I’m hopeful this will galvanize some sort of ASAT ban,” said Weeden. Given the international attention, the need to get rid of space trash is front and center and a ban on ASAT tests will help keep space accessible to all.

In this bonus content, hosts Chris Blackerby and Charity Weeden sit down to discuss kinetic ASAT tests in space and possible silver-linings that came from the most recent test. The November 2021 Russian ASAT (Anti-Satellite) test shed unprecedented light onto the space community and is estimated to have produced almost 1700 pieces of debris in the 600km range, close to Earth, which was spread throughout other orbital regimes. Not only did this test launch international attention on debris in space, but it reaffirmed uncertainty in operating in space for many private and public space entities. Space debris, or space “junk” as it is commonly referred to, can range from outdated satellites, to tiny fragments of broken up objects, similar to what the Russian ASAT test created. The junk clogs up orbital pathways and can cause unforeseen structural damage to orbiting or launching objects. As such, many companies, including Astroscale have condemned ASAT tests in the industry as irresponsible behavior. While space debris continues to orbit, Blackerby highlighted some silver-linings on the situation, “It’s awareness…when do we see the non-space media and community get in…We had recognition by politicians around the world that this was bad.” Though not catastrophic in the near-term, the test created so much debris that the resulting awareness in the international community can be viewed as a positive aspect, but not one that the space industry wants to repeat as a normative action. On ASAT tests, Weeden was firm that we can not allow this activity to, “live in the space environment.” Space actors can not continue doing these tests and apologizing as if they do not have any future, long-term consequences.“I’m hopeful this will galvanize some sort of ASAT ban,” said Weeden. Given the international attention, the need to get rid of space trash is front and center and a ban on ASAT tests will help keep space accessible to all.