Astra completes deal to go private
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-19 08:32
Astra Space has completed a deal to take the company private at 50 cents per share. The agreement ends Astra’s time as a publicly traded company a little more than three years. Astra went public through a merger with Holicity, a special purpose acquisition company. The company planned to offer high-frequency, low-cost launches of small satellites.
Chiara Manfletti, CEO Neuraspace – Leading Women in Space
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-18 14:29
SpaceNews is shining a spotlight on some of the extraordinary women at the helm of space programs and organizations. We're delving into their backgrounds, discussing their accomplishments and highlighting their ongoing work. Watch a new episode every Thursday through August on SpaceNews.com and on the SpaceNews YouTube channel.
NASA cancels VIPER lunar rover
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-18 02:37
NASA ends development of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rove (VIPER) Mission would have searched for ice at the south pole of the moon. Costs of VIPER had grown by more than 30%, triggering a termination review. NASA will consider proposals from American companies to fly VIPER on their own.
U.S. Space Command chief expresses confidence in Falcon 9’s prompt return to flight
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-17 21:25
Gen. Stephen Whiting visited SpaceX’s Starlink satellite factory in Seattle the day after a July 11 incident that led to the grounding of the Falcon 9 fleet. Whiting emphasized SpaceX’s track record, noting that the company has launched the Falcon 9 “hundreds of times” The U.S. National security launch program currently relies on two primary providers: SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA)
U.S. Space Force chief emphasizes international partnerships
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-17 20:31
Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force, highlighted the role of international partnerships in safeguarding space assets and operations. Saltzman’s address at the 2024 Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference in London came on the heels of the appointment of U.K. Air Marshal Paul Godfrey.
Rocket Lab sets July 20 launch window for next Capella Space Mission from Launch Complex 1 – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-18 00:00
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has set the launch window for the company’s 51st Electron launch, a dedicated mission for American space tech company Capella Space (“Capella”) The ‘A Sky Full Of SARs’ mission is scheduled to launch during a 14-day window that opens on July 21 NZST / July 20 UTC from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. The mission will deploy Capella’s Acadia-3 SAR satellite, a synthetic aperture radar satellite for Earth imagery and observation, to a mid-inclination 615km circular orbit.
Axelspace announces AxelLiner Laboratory (AL Lab) for on-orbit demos of space components – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-19 00:00
Axelspace has been preparing for its full-scale service launch. This includes developing a versatile bus system for microsatellites and forming the Spacecraft Manufacturing Alliance for mass production. Axelspace began research into creating a new service for AxelLiner that specializes in in-orbit demonstrations.
Airbus and Thales eye satellite merger – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-18 00:00
Thales and Airbus are reportedly exploring a merger of their satellite operations. Leonardo is also involved in the talks thanks to the Space Alliance’s joint ventures with Thales. This potential partnership comes as both companies grapple with financial challenges in their space divisions. Declining demand for large satellites and the rise of smaller, cheaper alternatives, like Space X’s Starlink, have impacted their bottom lines.
Rocket Lab receives up to $23.9 million for the CHIPS Act funding in preliminary agreement for semiconductor production for spacecraft and satellites in Albuquerque – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-18 00:00
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) welcomed government and community leaders at its space-grade solar cells manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday, July 15, 2024. Rocket Lab’s solar cell facility has been a technology hub in Albuquerque for the past 25 years, employing more than 370 employees manufacturing space solar technology that has powered over 1,100 satellites in orbit.
The ITU’s Space Sustainability Forum 2024 is now open for registration – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-07-18 00:00
The ITU Space Sustainability Forum 2024 Forum will convene top leaders and subject matter experts from the satellite and space industries, space and telecom agencies, governments and other space stakeholders. The Forum will be in session from September 10th through 11th in Geneva, Switzerland.
New Evidence Adds to Findings Hinting at Network of Caves on Moon
Scientists have suspected for decades that there are subsurface caves on the Moon. Pits that may lead to caves were suggested in images from NASA’s lunar orbiters. A pit was then confirmed in 2009 from images taken by JAXA’s Kaguya orbiter.
Amendment 33: A.27 NISAR Research and Applications Science Team Deferred to ROSES-25
A.27 NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission (NISAR) Research and Applications Science Team (NISAR RAST) will request proposals for innovative research that utilize NISAR data and data products. The launch date for NISAR has slipped to early 2025 because of technical issues with the radar reflector.
Goldstone Planetary Radar Observes Binary Asteroid 2011 UL21
The asteroid was discovered in 2011 by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey, in Tucson, Arizona. This marked the first time it came close enough to Earth to be imaged by radar. A smaller asteroid, or moonlet, orbits it from a distance of about 1.9 miles (3 kilometers)
Goldstone Solar System Radar at Sunset
Deep Space Station 14 is part of NASA's Deep Space Network. The network's three complexes around the globe support communications with dozens of deep space missions. DSS-14 is also the agency's Goldstone Solar System Radar, which is used to observe asteroids that come close to Earth.
Detailed Planetary Radar Observations of Asteroid 2024 MK
Asteroid 2024 MK passed within 184,00 miles (295,000 kilometers) of Earth on June 30, 2024. NASA's Deep Space Network's Goldstone Solar System Radar sent radio frequency signals to the asteroid. The result of this "bistatic" Radar observation is a detailed image of the asteroid's surface.
NASA's ECOSTRESS Maps Burn Risk Across Phoenix Streets
Images show scorching pavement in Phoenix where contact with skin can cause serious burns. Data from NASA's ECOSTRESS instrument was used to map scorching pavement in the Arizona city. The surfaces registered at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) to the touch.
Odyssey's THEMIS Views Olympus Mons
The panorama was created by rotating Odyssey so that its camera faced the horizon of Mars as the orbiter soared past. This shot was among several taken in the latest effort by Odyssey using this technique. The bluish-white band at the bottom of the atmosphere hints at how much dust was present when the image was captured during Mars' dust season.
Lifting the Lid: NEO Surveyor's Medium Articulating Assembly Dolly
NEO Surveyor will detect, track, and characterize the most hazardous near-Earth objects. The MAAD is an articulating platform on which a spacecraft can be mounted securely. It can tilt a spacecraft vertically and horizontally, rotating it 360 degrees. JPL plans to use the MAAD for future missions to reduce crane lifts.
JunoCam Captures Io Spouting Off
The JunoCam instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft captured two volcanic plumes rising above the horizon of Jupiter's moon Io on Feb. 3, 2024. Mission scientists think the plumes were emitted either by two vents from one giant volcano, or two volcanoes near each other. Citizen scientist Andrea Luck made this image from raw JunoCam data.