EOS Data Analytics and Space Electric Thruster Systems demonstrate technology in orbit
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 20:06
EOS Data Analytics is acquiring imagery from the first satellite in the company’s agriculture-focused constellation. The satellite, built by Dragonfly Aerospace of South Africa, also served as the first on-orbit propulsion demonstration by Ukrainian startup Space Electric Thruster Systems. EOSDA expects to begin selling EOS Sat-1 imagery commercially by the end of June.
L3Harris to develop missile-warning sensor for medium orbit constellation
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 19:30
U.S. Space Force awards L3Harris a $29 million contract to design a sensor payload. The contract positions L3Harris as a possible third vendor in the MTC Epoch 1 program. The Space Force has already selected Millennium Space Systems and Raytheon Technologies to design sensors.
Digital twins gaining traction in military satellite programs
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 17:37
Digital twins are gaining traction in military satellite programs. The scale and complexity of satellite constellations make digital twins a necessity. A digital twin of a missile tracking satellite network, for example, helps decision makers tweak requirements. The development of military aircraft, satellites and other systems could be made faster and cheaper.
Falcon 9 launches cargo Dragon to space station with new solar arrays
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 17:30
Falcon 9 lifts off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A at 11:47 a.m. Eastern June 5. Dragon spacecraft separated from rocket’s upper stage 12 minutes after liftoff. Falcon 9 first stage landed on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. CRS-28 mission is carrying about 3,300 kilograms of cargo to the station.
Viasat forms satcoms titan to take on a market in transformation
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 17:23
Viasat's $6.2 billion Inmarsat acquisition has created a satellite communications behemoth. Inmarsat is set to help U.S.-based Viasat generate $4.5 billion in revenue. Intelsat and SES are in talks about creating a merged company that would generate around $4 billion.
Congress asks GAO for review of GeoXO weather satellite program
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 10:10
Geostationary Extended Operations is a new program of next-generation weather satellites. GeoXO is the successor to the ongoing GOES-R line of geostationary weather satellites. NOAA projects spending $19.6 billion over the life of the six-satellite GeoXO program.
SpaceX launch sends upgraded solar arrays to International Space Station
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 00:00
SpaceX’s 28th resupply mission to the International Space Station lifted off Monday from the Kennedy Space Center. The Cargo Dragon spacecraft headed into orbit on an 18-hour chase of the orbiting research outpost with more than 7,200 pounds of hardware, provisions, and scientific experiments. SpaceX flies unpiloted cargo missions to the space station under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.
UPDATE: SpaceX Dragon delivering replenishments to ISS + smallsats for deployment – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 00:00
SpaceX Falcon 9 launched Dragon’s 28th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-28) to the International Space Station. Dragon will autonomously dock with the space station on Tuesday, June 6th, at approximately 5:50 a.m. ET (9:50 UTC) to deliver 7,000+ pounds of supplies to the ISS. The SpaceX Dragon will deliver a pair of IROSAs (International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays) that, once installed, will expand the energy-production capabilities of the microgravity complex.
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO): GPS Modernization – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 00:00
U.S. Space Force should reassess requirements for satellites + handheld devices. DoD may not be able to keep all 27 available consistently over the next decade. GPS is the principal source of positioning, navigation, and timing information for the U.S. Military and its partners.
Withstanding the rigors of space — filters from Deposition Sciences – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 00:00
Deposition Sciences, Inc. (DSI) designs and supplies filters for spaceborne applications that withstand the long-term effects of radiation and atomic oxygen environments. Space filters need to withstand radiation in LEO and atomic oxygen in GEO. Optical thin film coatings on filters need to be impervious to degradation in LEO, MEO and GEO orbits.
NASA-JPL Psyche launch is on track – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 00:00
NASA and JPL convened the board last summer after the Psyche mission team requested to delay the spacecraft’s August 2022 launch to a metal-rich asteroid of the same name. The Psyche independent review board concluded in its initial report that, while JPL workforce issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the launch delay, additional factors, ranging from staffing to communication to management oversight, contributed as well.
GSOA and GVF have combined forces – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-05 00:00
GSOA and GVF have combined to create a single global trade association. GSOA will continue its strong advocacy activities highlighting socio-economic benefits of SatComs regulatory and policy outreach regionally and globally. Current members should note that Natalia Vicente and Irina Petrov will remain as the main contacts.
Review Board: NASA-JPL Psyche Progress Outstanding, Launch on Track
JPL moved to directly address the concerns regarding the Psyche project as well as the laboratory as an institution. The Psyche mission added experienced team members and reorganized a large part of its workforce. The spacecraft will reach asteroid Psyche in August 2029, orbiting it for 26 months.
NASA Invites Public to Sign Poem That Will Fly Aboard Europa Clipper
“Message in a Bottle’ is the perfect convergence of science, art, and technology,” says Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Europa Clipper currently is being assembled, on camera, at JPL. Set to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.6 billion kilometers)
NASA to Discuss Conclusions of Psyche Mission Independent Review Board
NASA will host a media teleconference at 4 p.m. EDT (1 p.m. PDT) on Monday, June 5, to discuss the follow-up report by the Psyche mission independent review board. The new assessment reviews corrective actions taken following the November 2022 report. Audio of the media call will stream live at: https://www.nasa.gov/live.
NASA Researchers Detect Tsunamis by Their Rumble in the Atmosphere
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is testing a novel approach to detect tsunamis. Called GUARDIAN, it taps into data from GPS and other wayfinding satellites orbiting our planet. Data is crunched by JPL’s Global Differential GPS network, which improves real-time positional accuracy down to a few inches.
SpaceX launches CRS-28 ISS resupply mission
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-04 11:15
SpaceX launched the Crew Resupply Mission 28 (CRS-28) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5. CRS-28 will resupply the ISS with equipment and supplies needed by Station astronauts and hardware for the coming months. A wide range of scientific payloads and science experiments will be launched to the Station on this mission.