The Overview — Morphing
Fueling the next generation of aerospace engineers
Morphing
The gradual transformation from one state to another, representing a shift in capability, shape, or perspective.
Welcome to the fifth edition of The Overview! This week's edition, themed "Morphing," delves into the evolving landscape of aerospace—from established government-led missions to cutting-edge initiatives by dynamic startups. In this issue, we’ll explore several exciting stories:
🛰️ Dive into Alexandra’s story as she shares her unique journey into folding spacecraft and how her origami hobby led her to design spacecraft structures.
👩🚀 After years of delay, astronauts are expected to ride on Boeing’s Starliner in the next few weeks! Also, Anduril has been keeping busy.
We want to hear from you! What topics or innovations are you eager to see covered in future editions?
🛰️ Featured Technology
How to Fold a Spaceship
When you hear the word “origami,” you probably think of paper cranes and cootie catchers. But what about spacecraft? Deep space exploration calls for larger and larger structures (antennas, solar arrays, the list goes on), structures that are too big to fit into a rocket for launch. Engineers have been turning to origami for decades to figure out how to fold spacecraft efficiently and reliably.
Join Alexandra as she dives into the world of deployable structures, exploring:
The mathematics behind complex origami and its critical role in the design of efficient space structures 🧠
Real-world applications of origami in enhancing the functionality of spacecraft and other deployable systems 🛰️
Her personal journey turning a long-time hobby into a career path 📈
Discover how folding paper influenced major advancements in space technology in the article below!
🗞️ Aerospace News
Starliner is Almost Operational (Finally)
A short view into the past: When the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011, the US was left without any native way to transport astronauts to Space (NASA had to resort to rides on the Soyuz with the Russians). Around the same time, NASA began the Commercial Crew Program, aiming to buy astronaut flight services from private partners, along with providing them funding to develop their spacecraft and flight services. This way, NASA could fly astronauts from American soil again. By 2015, Boeing (with its CST-100 Starliner) and SpaceX (with the Crew Dragon) were the finalists.
To everyone’s surprise, SpaceX developed the Crew Dragon faster, for cheaper, and flew the first crewed mission in May 2020. Since then, SpaceX has become NASA’s primary astronaut transportation provider. Meanwhile, Starliner has struggled with technical issues and failed test flights. The slowdown in development due to COVID didn’t help either. But finally, Starliner is very close to flying! After the first attempt on May 6th was scrubbed due to a chattering valve, the second attempt is expected to be in about 10 days' time. It will be helmed by Space Shuttle veterans Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. As this is a demo test flight, they will test various systems onboard the capsule during the mission.
Getting Starliner operational will be a great positive step for Boeing’s spacecraft division (and potentially for Boeing’s stock). And it means more options (and hopefully more regular flights) for NASA to send astronauts to space. The more, the merrier!
Anduril is Changing the Defense Industry Landscape
When commercial space companies proved that launch vehicles and spacecraft could be developed by startups, who’s to say that you can’t do the same with defense?
In the last few decades, defense companies have consolidated into a few massive ones: Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing. These companies are large and traditional. But there’s a new, wildly different challenger: Anduril.
Rooted in Silicon Valley’s high-risk software-style engineering, Anduril is increasingly becoming a big player in defense. It differentiates itself by bringing smaller, lower-cost autonomous systems rather than a few massive manned systems. Anduril’s main product is Lattice AI, mission autonomy software that lets a single user deploy many autonomous systems to achieve a mission objective. Anduril pairs Lattice with a formidable array of in-house autonomous hardware, from low-cost surveillance drones to submarines.
And Anduril just had a big win recently! Its autonomous air vehicle, Fury, won the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. And it beat Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman to it. Not to mention, Anduril has had serious backing from high-profile investors (like Founders Fund) for years now. If you’re interested in the defense sector, look into these new companies changing the game and innovating forward!
🔗 Links to Resources
We have an array of varied resources for you this week:
If you’re interested in Spacecraft Attitude and Dynamics, this high-quality course from Coursera is completely free and started on May 7th: Spacecraft Dynamics and Control Specialization [4 courses] (CU Boulder) | Coursera
If you’re into aerospace business news, this is a great newsletter: SpaceDotBiz | Ian Vorbach | Substack
We’re currently listening to this awesome podcast about control systems. It’s tangentially space-related, but a lot of awesome content in general for folks interested in control systems: inControl (incontrolpodcast.com)
💬 Quote of the Week
“The art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art.”
— John Lasseter
This quote complements Alexandra’s article, which highlights origami as a great example of how art and technology can challenge and inspire each other!
Thanks for reading The Overview—The Morphing edition. Stay tuned to our newsletter as we bring you the latest aerospace news, advice, and technology. We have lots more interesting content coming out soon, including a new medium 👀?!?
Feel free to contact us at admin@theoverview.org with feedback, news tips, or requests for topics you want to see in the future. And, of course, share The Overview with anyone who wants to learn more about the aerospace industry!
Stellar vibes,
Alexandra, Tagg, Anshuk, Maggie, Isaac