Category: International

Canada Releases New Space Policy Framework

Canada Releases New Space Policy Framework

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 7, 2014 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 7, 2014 11:57 pm ET

Canada’s Minister of Industry, James Moore, and the President of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Gen. (Ret.) Walter Natynczyk, released Canada’s new framework for space policy today.

The policy starts out by saying that “space is increasingly congested, contested and competitive,” a line popularized by the U.S. Government since the beginning of the Obama Administration, but quickly focuses in on Canadian national interests.  The five core principles of the framework are:

  • Canadian Interests First.   “National sovereignty, security and prosperity will be the key drivers of Canada’s activities in space.”
  • Positioning the Private Sector at the Forefront of Space Activities.  The Canadian government will focus on “supporting the domestic space industry” and “utilizing industry where industry has greater capacity, knowledge and skill” or “can be more efficient and cost-effective.”
  • Progress Through Partnerships.  Including international collaboration, while protecting “Canadian technologies and data from theft or from falling into the hands of hostile interests” through “effective export control and regulatory measures.”
  • Excellence in Key Capabilities.  From “telecommunication to remote sensing to robotics” while “keeping a close watch on new niches of technological accomplishment.”
  • Inspiring Canadians.  “Space is a highly visible means of motivating young Canadians to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.”

The policy goes on to identify four “avenues of strategic action” for its implementation:

  • Commercialization
  • Research and Development
  • Exploration of Space
  • Stewardship, Management and Accountability

The last avenue calls for establishing a Canadian Space Advisory Council chaired by the President of CSA.  “At the same time, the Government will empower a committee chaired by a Deputy Minister to review objectives and expenditures.”

The statement ends by asserting that “It is imperative, then, that Canada remain in the vanguard of space research and application.  This framework provides the policy blueprint for Canada to do so.”

The report states that Canada’s space industry provides 8,000 skilled jobs and contributes $3.33 billion to Canada’s economy annually.

CSA receives about $300 million a year from the Canadian government.  It is probably best known as a partner with the United States on the space shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) programs with its Canadarm and Canadarm2 robotic arms, as well as Dextre, the “hand” that goes with Canadarm2.   A number of Canadian astronauts have flown on the shuttle and ISS, perhaps most famously Chris Hadfield who was the first Canadian ISS commander and captivated global audiences with his rendition of David Bowie’s Space Oddity (“Major Tom”). 

Canada also has an extensive space applications program.  It is a leader in radar remote sensing from space with its Radarsat satellites and was the first country with a geostationary communications satellite, Anik, to serve domestic (rather than international) needs.  (The United States launched Anik and many other Canadian satellites. Canada does not have its own orbital launch site.)

It also has space science programs, some in partnership with the United States or the European Space Agency.  At an event earlier this week at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on the status of the James Webb Space Telescope, Senator Barbara Mikulski called for a special round of applause for Canada — “one of the most wonderful neighbors you could have in the world.”

From a national security space standpoint, in 1957, Canada and the United States formed what is now called the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) that is charged with aerospace warning and aerospace control, including monitoring of man-made objects in space and detection, validation and warning of attack against North America by aircraft, missiles or space vehicles.

Last Updated: Feb 07, 2014 11:57 pm ET
Ruppersberger Worries About Counterspace Threats, Advocates Commercial Space

Ruppersberger Worries About Counterspace Threats, Advocates Commercial Space

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 5, 2014 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 5, 2014 4:59 pm ET

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) pressed Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper about other countries’ counterspace capabilities at a House Intelligence Committee hearing yesterday.  Though it seems an unusual venue for such a discussion, he also called for relaxing “out-dated regulations” that may hamper the U.S. commercial space industry.

The hearing on worldwide threats was the House committee’s counterpart to the Senate Intelligence Committee’s hearing on the same topic last week, with the same set of witnesses: DNI Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, FBI Director James Comey, and Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Matthew Olsen.

Ruppersberger is the top Democrat, or ranking member, on the committee and therefore one of the “Gang of Eight” (the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader) whom the President must keep informed of the country’s most secret intelligence activities.

Clapper’s testimony yesterday was similar to what he told the Senate Committee, which is based on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s assessment of current worldwide threats.  An unclassified version of that report has one paragraph describing Chinese and Russian counterspace threats.

Yesterday, Ruppersberger broached space issues as part of his opening statement and followed up during the question and answer period.  Space was just a small part of the discussion, but is nonetheless significant in the context of this broad hearing.   He called out China’s counterspace activities as one of three areas of particular concern to him (cyber and the East China Sea were the other two), and also cited keeping the U.S. commercial space industry competitive as another important issue.

“This year, we must also continue to focus our attention on space.  We must continue to promote our commercial space industry and relax those out-dated regulations that are hampering our competitive advantage.  I cannot emphasize enough that U.S. companies must also be allowed to compete in the free market.  This competition will promote innovation in our space industry.”

Commercial space did not arise again, but Ruppersberger did have a dialog with Clapper about counterspace activities, a subject the two apparently already had discussed in a classified session the previous day.  

Ruppersberger began by stressing the importance of space:  “We have to keep our eye on the ball as it relates to space.  With all the other issues, Snowden and Syria and Iran, space is still one of the most important things that we do to protect the United States of America.”   He expressed concern about China’s 2007 antisatellite (ASAT) test and the resulting debris that threatens U.S. space operations, but primarily he worried that “countries are working on the ability to destroy our satellites, on which so much of our daily lives and our military intelligence capabilities depend.”  He asked Clapper to describe the counterspace threat and whether China understands the “ramifications” of disabling a U.S. satellite.

Clapper replied that the importance of space assets is “why I intentionally brought this up at our closed session yesterday evening” where he had explained “there are countries who are pursuing very aggressive, very impressive counterspace capabilities which I cannot go into here because of classification restrictions.”   In the report he presented to Congress, China and Russia were the only countries specifically identified as pursuing counterspace systems and at yesterday’s hearing he again singled them out.  He asserted that both of those countries “well understand the implications of  — as an act of war — to do something destructive against any of our satellites.”

The question of whether China understands the repercussions of attacking U.S. space systems arose at a House Armed Services Committee (HASC) hearing on January 28.   Michael Krepon of the Stimson Center, a witness at the hearing, said he was not sure China does understand the consequences because the United States and China are not engaged in the types of dialogues and negotiations that characterized the U.S.-Soviet relationship during the Cold War.  Krepon argued that he sees dysfunction between the Chinese political and military leadership and having bilateral discussions between the two countries would get everyone sitting at the same table talking about “red lines.”    Another witness, Robert Butterworth of Aries Analytics, disagreed, saying that he believes China fully understands that attacking U.S. satellites “means war,” the same assessment Clapper provided yesterday.

Last Updated: Feb 05, 2014 4:59 pm ET
Mikulski to JWST Workforce: "I Saved You from the Tea Party"

Mikulski to JWST Workforce: "I Saved You from the Tea Party"

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 3, 2014 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 3, 2014 6:38 pm ET

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) told an auditorium full of workers on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) today that “I saved you from the Tea Party,” which wanted to cut the $8 billion program as a quick fix to budget challenges.

Mikulski and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden spoke at a news conference held at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD where JWST is being built.  For many years Mikulski has chaired the Senate appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA and last year rose to also chair the full Senate Appropriations Committee, making her a very powerful figure in determining how much money NASA gets and how it is spent.

An ardent supporter of NASA, and particularly programs at Goddard in her home state of Maryland, Mikulski was upset at significant cost growth and schedule slippage in the JWST program in 2010.  She demanded an independent review of the program.

That review, led by John Casani, faulted the program’s “budgeting and program management, not technical performance.”  Cost growth and schedule slippage had characterized the program already for years and the Casani report tagged the cost at $6.5 billion with a launch date of 2015 – up from a prior estimate of $5.1 billion with launch in 2014.  NASA subsequently made major changes to how the program is managed within the agency and did further analysis, concluding that the cost would be $8 billion for development (not including launch or operations) with launch in 2018.

As Bolden said today, Mikulski since has held NASA’s “feet to the fire” through the practice of “tough love,” which Bolden praised.   Mikulski had a different take on it, though.

“It’s not me that’s tough on you. The Tea Party’s tough on you.  I’ve saved you from the Tea Party,” she asserted.  The Tea Party was “seeking quick fixes to cut the budget” and JWST at “$8 billion was standing out there like in an orange jumpsuit waiting to be cut … because of lack of stewardship and oversight at NASA.  But we’ve righted that ship with the Casani report … and an actual game plan for making sure the project is completed on time.”

Mikulski lauded the international cooperation aspects of JWST and called for a special round of applause for Canada – “one of the most wonderful neighbors you could have in the world.”   The briefing included a virtual tour of the JWST by a bunny-suited Paul Geithner, JWST Deputy Program Manager, from the white room where JWST is being assembled.  The extent of international cooperation in the project was evident as he named the various countries involved in building JWST’s instruments.   In addition, JWST will be launched by the European Space Agency.   Mikulski saw international cooperation as a feather in America’s cap:  “A big nation can build a telescope, a rich nation can build a telescope, but it’s only a great nation that shares that information, that knowledge, that know how with the world.”

Bolden reassured the gathering that JWST remains on track:  “We’ve got cushion in our schedule and we’re hanging in there on cost.”

Mikulski asked Geithner what lessons were learned from the Hubble Space Telescope, where the mirror was found to be defective once it was in orbit.   Geithner said the “fatal flaw” with Hubble is that the same tools used in manufacturing the mirror were used to verify it met specifications.  With JWST, completely separate tools are used for manufacturing and verification.  In addition, the program is reviewed by an independent expert panel of scientists and engineers.  Finally, the telescope can be adjusted after it is deployed in space.

JWST “will secure our lead in astronomy … for the next 50 years,” Mikulski exclaimed.  As great as Hubble is, JWST will be “far more superior.”

Last Updated: Feb 03, 2014 6:38 pm ET
Space Policy Events for February 2-7, 2014

Space Policy Events for February 2-7, 2014

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 2, 2014 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 2, 2014 1:59 pm ET

The following space policy events may be of interest in the week ahead.  The House and Senate are in session.

During the Week

Among the highlights this week is the FAA’s annual Commercial Space Transportation conference on Wednesday and Thursday in Washington, DC.   Speakers this year include Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations; Congressman Steve Palazzo (R-MS), chair of the Space Subcommittee of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee; staff from House and Senate committees with oversight of commercial space transportation issues; and an impressive set of representatives of other government agencies, traditional and entrepreneurial space companies, and academia.

The day before that conference, George Nield, FAA’s Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, will testify to Palazzo’s subcommittee on “Necessary Updates to the Commercial Space Launch Act.”  That’s the law, which, among other things, created the authority for the FAA to indemnify commercial space launch companies against certain amounts of third party claims for damages from launch accidents.  Congress extended the FAA’s indemnification authority for three more years (to December 31, 2016) as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, but Democrats on the House committee had wanted just a one-year extension to provide time for more hearings on the topic.   It wouldn’t be surprising for questions to arise on indemnification despite the extension. 

It’s always difficult to guess what Members will be interested in at any hearing, but another issue that might come up is the extent to which the FAA should regulate commercial human spaceflight.  It currently is limited by law as to how strictly it can regulate that industry until 2015.  The idea of a light handed regulatory regime is to ensure that heavy regulation doesn’t deter the emergence of a new industry.  At last year’s Commercial Space Transportation conference, Wayne Hale argued in favor of voluntary industry standards rather than government regulation.   Hale is not on the list of witnesses at the hearing, but he is scheduled to speak at the conference the next day.   In addition to Nield, the other hearing witnesses are Alicia Cackley from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Henry Hertzfeld from George Washington University.

Lots of other interesting events this week, too, as shown in the list below — everything we know about as of Sunday afternoon. 

Sunday-Thursday, February 2-6

  • American Meteorological Society 94th annual meeting, Atlanta, GA.  Town Hall meetings of particular note:
    • NASA Earth Sciences Division Town Hall meeting, Tuesday, Feb 4, 12:15-1:15 pm ET
    • Advances in Direct Broadcast Capabilities and Applications for JPSS and other Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite Systems Town Hall meeting, Tuesday, Feb 4, 12:15-1:15 pm ET
    • SMAP Mission Town Hall meeting, Tuesday, Feb 4, 6:00-7:00 pm ET
    • NASA’s Earth Science — Flight Program Investments in and Planning for the Next-Generation Earth Observatories Town Hall meeting, Wednesday, Feb 5, 12:15-1:15 pm ET

Monday, February 3

Monday-Tuesday, February 3-4

Tuesday, February 4

Tuesday-Thursday, February 4-6

Wednesday-Thursday, February 5-6

Wednesday-Friday, February 5-7

Thursday, February 6

Friday, February 7

 

Last Updated: Feb 02, 2014 1:59 pm ET
NASA's Day of Remembrance 2014 Honoring Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia Crews

NASA's Day of Remembrance 2014 Honoring Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia Crews

By Marcia Smith | Posted: January 31, 2014 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: January 31, 2014 9:28 am ET

Today is the NASA Day of Remembrance 2014 honoring the astronauts who lost their lives in spaceflights.   The day honors the crews of Apollo 1 (AS-204), Challenger (STS-51L) and Columbia (STS-107). 

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and other NASA officials are participating in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery this morning and an event will be held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex beginning at 10:30 am ET.

The day honors the three-man crew of Apollo 1 (AS-204) who died in a fire in their Apollo capsule during a pre-launch test on January 27, 1967.  Pictured below left to right:  Ed White, Virgil “Gus” Grisson, and Roger Chaffee.  They were to be the first crew of the first Apollo mission.  Photo: NASA.

 

The crew of space shuttle Challenger (STS-51L) died when their space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff because an O-ring failied on a solid rocket booster on January 28, 1986.  Pictured below left to right: front row – Mike Smith (NASA), Dick Scobee (NASA), Ron McNair (NASA); back row – Ellison Onizuka (NASA), Christa McAuliffe (teacher in space), Greg Jarvis (Hughes Aircraft), Judy Resnik (NASA).  Photo: NASA

 

 

The crew of space shuttle Columbia (STS-107) died when their shuttle disintegrated during its return to Earth on February 1, 2003 when superheated gases entered the shuttle’s wing through a hole punctured in it by a piece of foam that came off the External Tank during launch. Pictured below left to right: David Brown (NASA), Rick Husband (NASA), Laurel Clark (NASA), Kalpana Chawla (NASA), Michael Anderson (NASA), William McCool (NASA), Ilan Ramon (Israeli Air Force). Photo: NASA.

 

 

Last Updated: Jan 31, 2014 9:28 am ET
DNI Clapper Cites Russian, Chinese Counterspace Capabilities at Intelligence Committee Hearing

DNI Clapper Cites Russian, Chinese Counterspace Capabilities at Intelligence Committee Hearing

By Marcia Smith | Posted: January 30, 2014 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: January 30, 2014 10:52 am ET

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper noted — if briefly — Russian and Chinese counterspace capabilities in an assessment of worldwide threats at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing yesterday.

Clapper and four other top intelligence officials (CIA, DIA, FBI, National Counterterrorism Center) testified at the annual open meeting of the committee, which typically meets in closed session.  Clapper made a statement on behalf of all of the witnesses.  The unclassified version of his statement and the video of the hearing are posted on the committee’s website.  

The breadth of topics covered by Clapper’s unclassified statement is illustrated by its title:  Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.  While counterspace occupies only one paragraph in the 27-page report, the fact that it is included at all is notable.

The unclassified report asserts that “Threats to US space services will increase during 2014 and beyond as potential adversaries pursue disruptive and destructive counterspace capabilities.”  The only two countries mentioned are Russia and China, even though other countries (such as India) have discussed developing antisatellite (ASAT) systems and jamming of communications and navigation satellite signals by various countries have been cited in the open literature for years.

China’s counterspace capabilities were discussed in more detail at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday by non-governmental witnesses.   Clapper’s report mentions only generally China’s ASAT test in 2007 and its satellite jamming capabilities.   As for Russia, Clapper says that its military doctrine emphasizes “space defense as a vital component of its national defense.”  In addition to satellite jammers, the report asserts that “Russian leaders openly maintain that the Russian armed forces have antisatellite weapons and conduct antisatellite research.”

Last Updated: Jan 30, 2014 10:52 am ET
HASC Told China's Counterspace Capabilities "Extremely Serious"

HASC Told China's Counterspace Capabilities "Extremely Serious"

By Marcia Smith | Posted: January 28, 2014 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: January 28, 2014 8:54 pm ET

Ashley Tellis of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) today that China’s counterspace capabilities are “extremely serious” and “on a par” with its offensive cyber operations.   The only issue on which witnesses disagreed was on the value of diplomacy and a Code of Conduct in addressing the threat.

Also testifying at the HASC hearing today were Robert Butterworth of Aries Analytics and Michael Krepon of the Stimson Center.  The hearing was before the HASC subcommittees on Strategic Forces and on Seapower and Projection Forces.

Tellis asserted that the “current and evolving counterspace threat posed by China to U.S. military operations … is extremely serious and the threat ranks on par with the dangers posed by Chinese offensive cyber operations to the United States more generally.”  He added that the “diversity and complexity” of China’s counterspace activities make them “particularly problematic.”  He listed a spectrum of capabilities from direct ascent and co-orbital antisatellite (ASAT) programs to electromagnetic warfare to directed energy and radio frequency weapons as well as computer network attack capabilities.

Butterworth and Krepon did not disagree with that characterization.   The question was what the United States should do in response.

Once again there was agreement that the United States needs more resilient military satellite capabilities perhaps based on a “disaggregated” architecture.  That term refers to building systems based on more, smaller satellites rather than a few large ones so that if one fails, others can compensate and might be easier to replace quickly.   Butterworth also stressed that U.S. military planners need to integrate space operations into the “joint fight, the contribution of space to US combat capability.”

Krepon offered that the United States needs to retain capabilities to respond to threats to space systems “in ways of our choosing if someone messes with us,” though he does not support developing dedicated systems because existing systems have sufficient latent capabilities.

All three also were unified on the need for improved Space Situational Awareness (SSA) to deter an attack or to be able to attribute an attack if one occurs.  “The extent to which we can deter depends on how much we know ahead of time.  If the committee underfunds [SSA] then our deterrence capabilities can be diminished even if we’re doing the other things right,” Krepon warned.

Tellis added that SSA “is the foundation for any kind of defensive counterspace. … We certainly have to put resources first and foremost into [SSA] because nothing else with respect to defensive counterspace is going to work” without it.  Butterworth emphasized that SSA is needed “from orbit, and some of those orbits should be very high so we are looking down” and threats can be detected from “all angles.”

The witnesses parted ways, however, on the role of diplomacy and a Code of Conduct for space activities and a related issue of whether China understands the consequences of attacking U.S. space systems.

Krepon argued strongly for diplomacy in addition to other measures for responding to the threat.   He compared the situation today in U.S.-China relations to the U.S.-Soviet relationship during the Cold War.   During the Cold War, he explained, the United States and Soviet Union had ongoing diplomatic exchanges that allowed each an understanding of the other’s motivations and where to draw the line.  Those dialogues led to several treaties.  With regard to today’s threats to space systems, “we can’t do treaties in space … but we can do… a Code of Conduct that establishes rules of responsible … behavior.”

Krepon doubts whether China really understands the consequences of attacking U.S. satellites because the United States and China are not engaged in similar dialogues.  Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) called that a “startling revelation.”   Krepon continued that he sees a “dysfunction in China between the political leadership and the military” that adds to his concern and suggested that a country-to-country dialogue would put all the parties at the same table talking about “red lines.”

Butterworth disagreed.  He believes China understands completely that attacking U.S. satellites “means war.”  He dismissed the value of a Code of Conduct — “finding ways to negate the U.S. military space advantage is a compelling strategic requirement for China.  It won’t be moderated by proselytizing space norms or deterrence by démarche or a Code of Conduct for good guys in space.”

Last Updated: Jan 28, 2014 8:54 pm ET
Space Policy Events for January 27-31, 2014

Space Policy Events for January 27-31, 2014

By Marcia Smith | Posted: January 26, 2014 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: January 26, 2014 2:32 pm ET

The following space policy events may be of interest in the week ahead.  The House and Senate are in session.

During the Week

President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday night.  There are no rumors that the space program will figure in his speech, but anything is possible.  Tuesday is, after all, the 28th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger tragedy.

In fact, this is the week that commemorates the loss of the Apollo 1 crew on January 27, 1967; the Challenger crew on January 28, 1986; and the space shuttle Columbia crew on February 1, 2003.  NASA and the Air Force will hold a ceremony tomorrow (Monday) at Launch Complex 34 to remember the Apollo 1 crew and NASA will hold its annual Day of Remembrance for all three crews on Friday according to Florida Today (we could find no mention of these events on NASA HQ or Kennedy Space Center websites, so don’t have any other details).

Apart from that, perhaps the most notable event coming up this week is Tuesday’s hearing before two subcommittees of the  House Armed Services Committee on China’s counterspace program.  Bob Butterworth from Aries Analytics, Michael Krepon from the Stimson Center, and Ashley Tellis from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace are the witnesses — 3:30 pm ET, 2118 Rayburn (and via webcast at the committee’s website).

Here’s the list of everything we know about as of Sunday afternoon.

Monday, January 27

Tuesday, January 28

Tuesday-Wednesday, January 28-29

Thursday, January 29

Last Updated: Jan 26, 2014 2:32 pm ET
China's Yutu Lunar Rover Experiences Mechanical Abnormality – UPDATE 2

China's Yutu Lunar Rover Experiences Mechanical Abnormality – UPDATE 2

By Marcia Smith | Posted: January 25, 2014 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: January 26, 2014 3:16 pm ET

UPDATE 2, January 26, 2014, 2:55 pm EST:  CCTV has a story today about Netizens extending “blessings” to Yutu and many of them “fear for the troubled rover’s destiny.”  That is far short of any official indication of whether Yutu’s problems can be solved, but does continue to suggest that the problem is serious.  This article is updated with a bit more from that CCTV story and a link to it.

UPDATE, January 25, 2014, 10:20 pm EST:  China’s English language TV station, CCTV, ran a story this evening suggesting Yutu may be in serious trouble.   This article is updated accordingly.

China’s official Xinhua news agency reported on January 25 Eastern Standard Time (EST) that the Yutu lunar rover experienced a “mechanical control abnormality” just before it entered its second hibernation period for the lunar night.

Yutu (“Jade Rabbit”) is part of China’s Chang’e-3 mission.   Chang’e is China’s mythological goddess of the Moon and Yutu is her companion pet rabbit.

Chang’e-3 and Yutu landed on the Moon on December 14, 2013 EST.  It is China’s first probe to soft land on the Moon.  Yutu separated from Chang’e-3 the next day and began its trek across the lunar surface.  Yutu is equipped with solar arrays for power, so must hibernate during the 14-day lunar “nights” when there is no sunlight.

Xinhua reported late in the evening of January 24 EST that Yutu experienced an abnormality.  A story published January 25 EST added that it is a “mechanical control abnormality” due to the “complicated lunar surface environment” and “scientists are organizing repairs.”  “The abnormality emerged before the rover entered its second dormancy at dawn on Saturday as the lunar night fell,” Xinhua reported, quoting China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND).

Official Chinese sources have not stated what the problem is, but a participant in a conversation on The Planetary Society’s “Unmanned Spaceflight.com” site said on January 25 that the problem “is with the solar arrays failing to tuck back into the rover body for thermal protection during the lunar night.”  The source of that information is not cited, but the participant is identified as Cosmic Penguin, who is located in Hong Kong according to information on that site.

Also on January 25 EST, China’s official English-language TV station, CCTV, ran a story suggesting that the problem may be quite serious.   Citing Yutu’s official Chinese Twitter account, CCTV ran the following quote:  “It’s been a pleasure for me to come to the moon and share my experiences with everyone.  Very soon the temperature on the moon will drop below minus 180 degrees Centigrade.  I’m not sure if things can be fixed in time.  So I’d like to wish all of you a happy Spring Festival in advance!”

Twitter accounts for robotic spacecraft have become common in recent years since Veronica McGregor at the U.S. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) began the practice with the Mars Phoenix lander.   Humans associated with a space mission post messages on Twitter using the first person as though the spacecraft itself is talking.  Whoever is posting messages on Yutu’s Twitter account presumably is officially connected with the mission.

On January 26, CCTV ran a follow-up story about how “tens of thousands of Chinese Netizens” are posting messages on China’s Twitter service extending “blessings” to Yutu.  Some are messages of encouragement that Yutu get better, others console the robotic rover that it did its best.  CCTV says that many of those posting messages “fear for the troubled rover’s destiny.”   That is far from an official statement about the likelihood that Yutu’s problems can be solved, but absent official information, the fact that the government’s English-language TV broadcaster is highlighting these posts adds to the sense that the problem is serious.   The closest CCTV comes to quoting anyone in an official capacity is a statement attributed to Yang Yuguang, “a researcher” from China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp. who says “There is no smooth way ahead.  Whether or not we can overcome this difficult situation, it’s a big lesson for our lunar exploration research.”

The stationary Chang’e-3 lander is equipped with an optical telescope and extreme ultraviolet camera.  The Yutu rover has a radar, panoramic camera, particle X-ray instrument and infrared sensor.  Emily Lakdawalla, who blogs for The Planetary Society, posted on January 21 that the panoramic camera no longer is functional.

China’s Yutu rover on the Moon.  Source, tweet from Xinhua News @XHNews December 22, 2013.

Last Updated: Jan 26, 2014 3:16 pm ET
HASC Subcommittees Schedule Hearing on China's Counterspace Program

HASC Subcommittees Schedule Hearing on China's Counterspace Program

By Marcia Smith | Posted: January 23, 2014 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: January 23, 2014 4:44 pm ET

Two House Armed Services Committee (HASC) subcommittees will hold a joint hearing next week on China’s counterspace program. 

The HASC subcommittees on Strategic Forces and on Seapower and Projection Forces will hold a hearing on “The People’s Republic of China’s Counterspace Program and the Implications for U.S. National Security.”  It is on January 28 at 3:30 pm ET in 2118 Rayburn House Office Building.  Witnesses are:

  • Robert Butterworth, Aries Analytics
  • Michael Krepon, The Stimson Center
  • Ashley Tellis, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

The chairman of the Strategic Forces subcommittee, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), co-authored a letter with Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) last month to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper asking a series of questions about China’s space program and whether the United States was losing its space leadership.  Clapper was asked to respond to five questions, two of which were directly about China’s counterspace program.  The five questions are:

  • Has China today tested or deployed counter space capability in outer space, and will China deploy counter space capabilities by the end of this decade?
  • What technologies demonstrated by China’s robotic moon landing, and other space systems, have applications for China’s counter space and ballistic missile programs?
  • What technologies demonstrated by China’s robotic moon landing, and other space systems, have been acquired, legally or otherwise, from the United States?
  • What are the impacts from civil space cooperation between the United States and China on China’s military space program?
  • It was reported that, in 2010, the Administration lowered the intelligence collection priority status of the People’s Republic of China.  Does that lower status still apply? What is the priority of China’s space program for the intelligence community?

No time frame was stipulated for when Clapper must respond to the questions.  The Rogers-Wolf letter said only that the answers would “inform fiscal year 2015 legislation our two subcommittees may consider.”  Wolf chairs the House Appropriations Commerce-Justice-Science subcommittee and is the primary author of language prohibiting NASA and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from engaging in bilateral interactions with China regarding civil space cooperation unless certain conditions are met.

Last Updated: Jan 23, 2014 4:44 pm ET

SPACEPOLICYONLINE.COM

About | Contact | Privacy