Firefly Aerospace launches NASA-sponsored cubesats
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-04 15:31
The Alpha rocket lifted off from a foggy Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:04 a.m. Eastern July 4. The rocket started deploying its payload of eight cubesats about 35 minutes after the upper stage shut down. The orbit was a low Earth orbit, but Firefly did not disclose the specific target orbit for the mission.
Airbus secures $2.5 billion German military satellite contract
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-04 14:42
Airbus Defense and Space won a $2.5 billion contract from the German military. The deal includes the development and deployment of two geostationary satellites. Airbus said SATCOMBw 3 represents a leap forward in military satellite technology. The spacecraft are slated for deployment before the end of the decade.
Firefly’s July 3rd sendoff of NASA’s ELaNa 43 mission “provides a path to space for educational small satellite missions” – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-04 00:00
Firefly Aerospace launched eight small satellites on July 3 aboard the company’s Alpha rocket. The rocket successfully lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:04 p.m.PDT. The CubeSat missions were designed by universities and NASA centers and cover science that includes climate studies, satellite technology development, and educational outreach to students.
July 3rd Boeing’s Starliner report, Starliner testing continues in space and on the ground, “We really want to understand the thruster and how we use it in flight” – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-04 00:00
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams climbed into Starliner at the International Space Station and worked with Boeing flight controllers and engineers on Tuesday, July 2. The teams on-console in NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston and Boeing’s Mission control Center at Kennedy Space Center checked out various systems of the spacecraft with the crew.
SpaceX’s Sunday, the 7th, Starlink launch of 20 smallsats including 13 Direct to Cell – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-04 00:00
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch of a batch of 20 Starlink satellites including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities on July 7, 2024. The mission includes the Starlink 9-3 group payload of the v2-mini satellites for their second-generation high-speed low Earth orbit internet constellation.
AAC Clyde Space to acquire Spacemetric AB – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-04 00:00
AAC Clyde Space has entered into a share sale and purchase agreement. AAC Clyde Space acquires 100 percent of the outstanding shares in Spacemetric AB. Spacemetric is a leading provider of geospatial data management systems for satellite and airborne imaging and video sensors.
Wishing Everyone a Happy July 4th … Independence Day, U.S.A. – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-04 00:00
Satnews offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4th, to celebrate the July 4th holiday, returning on Friday, July 5th. The entire Satnews team wishes those who celebrate Independence Day a most enjoyable holiday. We remember sacrifices made by millions to ensure a nation that continues to thrive, thanks to the freedoms enjoyed by the country’s citizens.
NASA’s Planetary Radar Tracks Two Large Asteroid Close Approaches
The asteroid 2024 MK was first reported on June 16 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) at Sutherland Observing Station in South Africa. Its orbit was changed by Earth’s gravity as it passed by, reducing its 3.3-year orbital period around the Sun by about 24 days.