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The Cape Canaveral Barrier Island, home to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Kennedy Space Center and the United States (U.S.) Space Force's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, is situated in a unique ecological transition zone that supports diverse wildlife. This study evaluates the recent changes in vegetation cover (2016–2023) and dune elevation (2007–2017) within the Cape Canaveral Barrier Island using high-resolution optical satellite and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. The study period was chosen to depict the time period of a recent increase in rocket launches. The study objectives include assessing changes in vegetation communities, identifying detectable impacts of liquid propellant launches on nearby vegetation, and evaluating dune elevation and tide level shifts near launchpads. The results indicate vegetation cover changes, including mangrove expansion in wetland areas and the conversion of coastal strands to denser scrubs and hardwood forests, which were likely influenced by mild winters and fire management. While detectable impacts of rocket launches on nearby vegetation were observed, they were less severe than those caused by solid rocket motors. Compounding challenges, such as rising tide levels, beach erosion, and wetland loss, potentially threaten the resilience of launch operations and the surrounding habitats. The volume and scale of launches continue to increase, and a balance between space exploration and ecological conservation is required in this biodiverse region. This study focuses on the assessment of barrier islands' shorelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outer space is often described as a frontier – an unsettled, mysterious or wild place that should be explored and eventually inhabited. The metaphor evokes a pioneer spirit and a sense of freedom, but it is also bound up with violent histories of settler colonialism and social injustice. Although the frontier narrative remains prevalent in political, commercial and media discourses in the United States and elsewhere, we know little about whether the public understands space exploration in this way. We also lack studies about how those working to popularise space exploration and make it comprehensible to a global audience understand and apply the frontier narrative. A long-term ethnographic study of their work shows that their understandings of the space frontier are refracted through everyday forms of sociality and experience that they cultivate near Boca Chica in South Texas, where SpaceX builds and tests Starship prototypes. The labour of imagination performed by SpaceX fans and space creators upends the problematic myth of the frontier and points towards alternative ways of understanding space exploration. • We lack studies that analyse whether the public really understands space as a frontier. • Their labour of imagination rather than the frontier narrative binds space creators. • The work of SpaceX fans points to alternative ways of imagining space exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a Christian philosophical and theological response to the moral imperative of human advancement through multiplanetarism as emerging from the Great Filter theory. First, it explains the Fermi paradox that underlies the Great Filter theory. Next, it explores this theory itself and its motivational power in driving advancement toward multiplanetarism. In particular, we explore two motives behind the multiplanetary efforts that are (in part) guided by the Great Filter theory, analyzing the relevant statements of SpaceX founder and chief engineer Elon Musk. Finally, we assess these motivations (and the accompanying normative assumptions) behind space exploration and multiplanetarism from the perspective of Reformational philosophy, using Herman Dooyeweerd's theory of ground motives as a lens. Thus, the paper's leading research question is this: How can we assess the current attempts at securing a multiplanetary existence for humankind in the light of Dooyeweerd's theory of ground motives? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National security in space has long focused on the threat posed by potentially offensive capabilities or behavior of nation-states. However, there is a huge shift in the type of dominant actor in space and this may result in instability, caused by ripple effects disrupting the existing governance structure and demonstrating the slipping rank of Russia as a space superpower. As a result, the fundamental nature of space is changing, and with that change comes disruption as to how the domain has been governed to date. If international governance does not evolve along with the domain, then we run the risk of seeing inadvertent escalations or even conflict between countries as a result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kind of advances in spaceflight envisioned in the mid-twentieth century have largely failed to materialize, thereby limiting space exploration to relatively small areas of a very large galaxy. That will change with the advent of directed energy technologies, specifically laser propulsion. The privately funded Breakthrough Starshot program is already working on such a propulsion system to carry nanosatellite Star Chips to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri. But powerful lasers – a dual-use technology much like rocketry, nuclear energy, and cyber technology, which have both security-related and civilian uses – have been largely stigmatized as weapons. While security concerns about the use of large lasers are certainly justified, the development of Starshot and other big, multinational science programs can have positive national and international outcomes. Therefore, the use of a large laser array as a propulsion system will require, much like other large multinational cutting-edge science programs, a negotiated, cooperative governance system. Those negotiations should begin soon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aerospace industry has undergone significant changes in the past few decades due to industrial impact. Technological advancements like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things have led to the development of more efficient and sustainable aerospace systems that have had a profound impact on the industry in the long run. This article aims to explore the industrial impact of the aerospace industry from a future perspective. It examines the various technological advancements that have been made and their impact on aerospace system design, fuel efficiency, and overall operational costs. This work also discusses the role of government regulations and policies in promoting sustainable aerospace practices and the need for continued research and development of new technologies, policies, and practices that can lead to a more sustainable aerospace industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space has fascinated humans for centuries. However, a new era has begun sixty years ago when the first engine was launched into outer space, the Russian satellite Sputnik. This event participated to trigger a space race between the two leading countries of the time, opposed in the Cold War, the United-States and the USSR. It had direct consequences on international relations at the time and was also at the origin of significant scientific improvements in the space field. This paper aims to analyze how space activities have developed and changed after the end of the Cold War. While competition dominated space and its few governmental actors until the end of the 1980’s, a new model of international cooperation has appeared subsequently and continues to govern most of space activities today. The variety of actors operating in the space field has also considerably increased. On the one hand, developing countries have tried more and more to play a significant role, using space as a means to exist on the international stage. On the other hand, the role of the private sector has also risen a lot. These new actors may constitute a threat for the global cooperation that has been set up after the Cold War, as well as for the future of space. Over the years, an international and national regulation has developed to frame and control space activities, with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs as a leading actor. Today, space law seems to suffer legal gaps that need to be addressed to ensure the safety of all. In addition, new challenges have arisen with the increasing number of space actors, such as space debris or space tourism. In order to anticipate potential irreversible damages in outer space, as has happened on Earth, it is now crucial to take seriously these legal needs.

Private commercialization is making broadband internet accessible through a new frontier: space. Space Exploration Holdings, LLC (SpaceX), is launching a mega-constellation of thousands of small-satellites into low-Earth orbit to provide fixed-satellite service across the globe. In order to do so, SpaceX was required to receive a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The licensing regime is part of a larger international regulatory framework based on five governing treaties – the Outer Space Treaty, Rescue Agreement, Liability Convention, Registration Convention, and the Moon Treaty. Compliance with these treaties is managed through the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) an agency of the United Nations. In this instance, the FCC's domestic licensing processes ensure compliance by the United States to the ITU's procedures and the treaties. The role of the FCC in maintaining these regulatory operations may, however, introduce risks to consumer privacy. This paper explores the tension between government regulation of information and communication technologies, specifically, small satellite mega-constellations and the right to privacy under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Goals: To win first place at the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in both overall point total and speed. To accelerate the development of a fast, economical, and sustainable transportation system. Objectives: Design and build a 1:2 scale Hyperloop pod that utilize air based levitation and is optimized for a one mile test track. Educate and train students in simulation and advanced manufacturing. Collaborate with industry partners and students from many disciplines.HyperXite.com Primary Advisor: Roger Rangel, Secondary Advisors: Jack Brouwer, Kenneth Mease, Mahshid Fardadi, Khalid Rafique,Lorenzo Valdevit, Farzin Zareian, Manuel Gamero, Daniel Mumm, James Bobrow

A tecnologia espacial é um dos setores que mais investe em automação e integração de estruturas e equipamentos. Envolvendo um enorme número de empresas diferentes, sempre apresentou um desafio entre integração de software e hardware das mais diversas áreas. Os computadores necessários para controlar e processar toda essa estrutura necessitam ser ágeis, confiáveis e capazes de executar todos os desafios propostos por esta tecnologia. Controlando estes computadores, o sistema operacional Linux mostrou-se capaz de realizar esta missão, sendo atualmente utilizado nos grandes foguetes reutilizáveis ou em drones sob solo marciano. Este estudo exploratório, realizado como revisão bibliográfica, destaca a aplicação do Linux, assim como a tecnologia espacial e seus desafios. Os dados obtidos durante a pesquisa possibilitaram afirmar que a NASA e a SpaceX mudaram a forma como equipes e empresas atuam nas missões espaciais. O Linux vem permitindo que equipes de cientistas em universidades ou empresas de tecnologia de pequeno porte atuem de forma importante para o sucesso da nova era espacial. A missão espacial DM-2 ocorrida em maio de 2020, é a prova do sucesso da utilização do Linux.

• This article discusses the safety contribution of a public administration scholar specialised in space policy, Howard McCurdy. • First, it contends that McCurdy's research on NASA and (post) bureaucracy has been overlooked in the field whereas it provides a valuable lens to the understanding of reliability, safety and performance of safety–critical systems. • Second, the article argues that McCurdy's research brings novel and valuable insights to important safety debates. • The relevance of McCurdy's lens is then illustrated using SpaceX as a case study, an example of the new developments in organising space exploration with their safety related challenges, moving from public to private initiatives. • In " Reinterrogating the past ", it is argued that McCurdy's research provides a bridge between what was once framed as two opposite theses, normal accident versus high-reliability organisation. • In " challenging the present " it is argued that more recent debates and controversies triggered by the " new view " might not be as new as currently thought and advocated. This article discusses the safety contribution of a public administration scholar specialised in space policy, Howard McCurdy. Its aim is twofold. First, it contends that McCurdy's research on NASA and (post) bureaucracy has been overlooked in the field whereas it provides a valuable lens to the understanding of reliability, safety and performance of safety–critical systems. This contention requires bringing to the fore McCurdy' extensive study of NASA and his rationale over several decades. Second, the article argues that McCurdy's research brings novel and valuable insights to important safety debates. Following a methodological section, the article explains his analysis of the engineering, organisational, and political complexities and challenges experienced by NASA's employees over more than sixty years of the agency's lifetime, developing a unique longitudinal and multilevel study of reliability, safety and performance. The relevance of McCurdy's lens is then illustrated using SpaceX as a case study, an example of the new developments in organising space exploration with their safety related challenges, moving from public to private initiatives. In the discussion, the article explores the value of this author for past and contemporary debates on reliability, safety and performance of safety–critical systems. In " Reinterrogating the past ", it is argued that McCurdy's research provides a bridge between what was once framed as two opposite theses, normal accident versus high-reliability organisation. In " challenging the present " it is argued that more recent debates and controversies triggered by the " new view " might not be as new as currently thought and advocated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US space activities from their inception have been closely connected with the private sector. However, only in 2010s private space companies have come to play a prominent role not only on the global market of space services but in the field of international security as well. At the same time, this trend towards commercialization of outer space use and the growing role of the private space sector in ensuring national security is still understudied. This paper aims to partially fill this gap by assessing approaches to these issues adopted by the administration of D. Trump. In the first section the author notes that both conceptual and legal frameworks of private space activities lack clarity and proposes an operational definition of the phenomenon. The second section provides a brief overview of the key strategic policy documents of the Trump’s administration including those on commercial use of space in general and its implications for the US national security in particular. The third section identifies the trend towards the institutionalization of the US Space Forces as one of the priorities of the Trump’s administration military policy. The fourth section thoroughly examines key forms and areas of the public–private partnership in commercial use of space, including launch services, communication services, intelligence gathering, as well as production and maintenance of satellites. Finally, the fifth section assesses the prospects for private space activities given the current tightness of the space services market and growing competition. The author concludes that private space plays a subsidiary role within the US national security and is still heavily dependent on state support. Nevertheless, the scope of public–private cooperation is expanding and the models of interaction are changing. The Trump’s administration has contributed to the development of the industry through liberalization of regulations and involvement of private sector in the new large-scale projects, such as the Artemis program. The other important outcome of the space policy of the 45th President of the United States is anchoring of private space activities in the US national security strategy documents.