The chief of space operations told Congress that present policies are restricting the U.S. Space Force’s capabilities to respond to threats on U.S. assets in orbit. During a congressional hearing Thursday, Gen. Chance Saltzman, a three-time Wash100 Award winner, discussed with lawmakers the importance of establishing a declaratory policy to move fast, especially as adversaries like China rapidly expand their presence in space.

Bureaucracy Impeding US Space Superiority

Saltzman explained to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a bipartisan advisory group, the current process to carry out basic operations such as developing and testing capabilities and training, all of which are done in simulation. 

In his written testimony, the space leader pointed out that the U.S. government and the Department of Defense have outdated ways of thinking, leading to restrictive space policies. 

He said, “we restrain ourselves from doing what is needful to avoid creating improper perceptions of ‘weaponizing space.’ In reality, space has been weaponized for at least two decades, and our slowness to absorb that reality has held back our progress.”

He also raised concerns about over-classification, which affects information-sharing across the Joint Force and with partners and allies. Saltzman said the present attitude about information sharing is “need to know” rather than “need to share,” which the official said is a more progressive take.

The International Space Station National Laboratory has launched an accelerator program that seeks to connect startups to investment partners to advance space-based innovation and drive commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit.

Under the Orbital Edge Accelerator program, investors E2MC, Stellar Ventures and Cook Inlet Region Inc., or CIRI, will invest in the inaugural cohort of six startups, the ISS National Lab said Wednesday.

Each selected startup will get a $500,000 investment and an opportunity to propose future spaceflight missions with the support of the ISS National Lab, which is also working with TechConnect on the accelerator. 

TechConnect will conduct a webinar on April 22 to inform interested stakeholders on the accelerator program’s scope.

Application Process for Orbital Edge Accelerator

Interested startups have until May 19 to submit their applications for the accelerator program.

The ISS National Lab will work with TechConnect and three investment partners to assess each submission and select up to 20 finalists to pitch their proposed technologies in a virtual setting by mid-June.

The lab will announce the first cohort of startups on July 7.

As a corporate partner for the accelerator, Amazon Web Services will provide mentoring support for the selected startups.

What Does the ISS National Lab Do?

The ISS National Lab provides researchers with access to a microgravity research environment to further develop space-based business models, drive science literacy, improve the quality of life on Earth and broaden a sustainable market in low Earth orbit.

The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space oversees the ISS National Lab for NASA under a cooperative agreement.

A team comprising university students and personnel from the Department of Energy‘s Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently conducted an experiment to determine the effectiveness of a new fuel coating technique the laboratory is developing.

NTP Technology

The fuel coating is meant to protect the critical components of a rocket driven by a nuclear thermal propulsion—or NTP—system, whose reactor generates high levels of heat and radiation, ORNL said Wednesday.

NTP systems are regarded as more efficient than traditional chemical propulsion and are expected to reduce travel time in long-range space exploration missions, like those heading to Mars.

Experiment Details

The experiment, which was carried out at the Ohio State University Research Reactor, involved subjecting multiple nuclear thermal rocket fuel sample surrogates to irradiation and repeated temperature cycling over two days. The samples were coated with zirconium carbide, which works to protect against hydrogen infiltration and corrosion without affecting reactor neutronics.

The experiment also involved the use of the In-Pile Steady-State Extreme Temperature Testbed, a specialized furnace that works to rapidly heat materials while making it possible to handle them soon after neutron irradiation. The sample surrogates were placed within this testbed.

The team will analyze the results of the experiment later this spring. Brandon Wilson, a staff member at ORNL’s Nuclear and Extreme Environment Measurement group, said, “The findings from this experiment will represent a crucial step in advancing nuclear thermal propulsion technology for future human space exploration.”