Virgin Orbit narrows down cause of LauncherOne failure
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-08 03:02
Virgin Orbit's chief executive says a problem with a relatively inexpensive part may be linked to the failure of the company’s latest launch. Dan Hart said it was still premature to formally declare the root cause of the failed Jan. 9 flight. Hart did not discuss the financial status of the company amid concerns about available cash.
As directed by Congress, Space Force to procure wideband communications satellite
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-07 23:27
The Space Force will use funds that Congress added to the 2023 defense budget. The new geostationary satellite, to be named WGS-12, will be the 12th of the Wideband Global Satcom constellation. The Space Force did not request funding for a wideband satellite in the 2023 budget.
Space Force touts benefits of deploying military payloads on commercial satellites
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-07 22:22
The transponder will give the U.S. Military access to communications services. The transponder will be on Hispasat’s Amazonas Nexus high-throughput satellite. Hispasat, a Spanish commercial telecommunications provider, will operate the satellite. The U.S. Space Force has touted partnerships with commercial satellite operators.
Spectrum strategy divides emerging direct-to-smartphone market
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-07 21:56
Executives spar over which spectrum strategy will lead to success in this emerging market. Iridium Communications seeks to use existing spectrum resources to connect with upgraded smartphone models. Lynk Global is developing constellations from scratch that would use frequencies from cellular partners. Each strategy has pros and cons, and companies touted various nuances.
Sateliot and Sentrisense forge pact to monitor electric grid
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-07 21:47
Internet-of-things startup Sateliot announces an agreement with Sentrisense. The new service will allow Sentrisense to monitor sensors attached to electric towers or power lines. Data from the sensors will help Sentrisense determine wire inclination and distance from the ground.
NASASpaceFlight.com
India launches a new ocean monitoring satellite on Saturday morning. The EOS-06 spacecraft will be placed into a low Earth orbit. The mission, PSLV C54, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 11:56 local time (06:26 UTC)
Commercial Archives
SpaceX has launched the Amazonas Nexus satellite for Hispasat on a Falcon 9 rocket from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Amazonas Nexus will provide communications for all of the Americas — including Greenland as well as maritime shipping corridors. This is the first time an Amazonas satellite was launched on a Falcon 9, with previous missions flying on either Ariane 5 or Proton-M.
International Archives
SpaceX has launched the Amazonas Nexus satellite for Hispasat on a Falcon 9 rocket from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Amazonas Nexus will provide communications for all of the Americas — including Greenland as well as maritime shipping corridors. This is the first time an Amazonas satellite was launched on a Falcon 9, with previous missions flying on either Ariane 5 or Proton-M.
News – Spaceflight101
Europe's Copernicus satellite fleet is gearing up for the arrival of its next addition on Wednesday. Russian Rockot booster set to blast off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 17:57 UTC with the Sentinel-3B multi-function satellite.
ISS Updates – Spaceflight101 – International Space Station
A veteran NASA spacewalker and an EVA rookie from Japan ended their week with nearly six hours of work outside the International Space Station on Friday. They worked to finish the restoration of the Station's Mobile Servicing System that started last year and continued in January to provide Canadarm2 with a new pair of grappling hands.
Featured – Spaceflight101
SpaceX Falcon 9 takes to the skies over Florida’s Cape Canaveral Monday afternoon. First of at least six cargo ships inbound to the U.S. Segment of ISS this year. Dragon spacecraft to deliver science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware to the orbiting laboratory.
Re-Entry: Long March 11 Rocket Body – Spaceflight101
The CZ-11 rocket re-entered the atmosphere on April 29, 2018 after only three days in orbit. It lifted a cluster of five commercial Earth-imaging satellites into a 500-Kilometer orbit. Exact details on the fourth stage of China’s new Long March 11 launcher are not available. It is reportedly built around a YF-50 main engine.
Webb Detects Extremely Small Main Belt Asteroid
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected an asteroid in the main belt of the solar system. The object measures 100-200 meters, occupies a very low-inclination orbit, and was located in the inner main-belt region at the time of the Webb observations. Future dedicated Webb observations will allow astronomers to study asteroids smaller than 1 kilometers in size.
University High Reclaims Victory at JPL-Hosted Science Bowl
Irvine, California's University High School won the regional competition of the National Science Bowl. More than 100 Southern California high schoolers competed in the tense, fast-paced academic challenge. The victory marked a return to form for the school, which won four years straight until its streak was disrupted in a narrow loss at last year's tournament.
NASA-ISRO Earth Science Instruments Get Send-Off Before Moving to India
Somanath, Indian Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission Sripriya Ranganathan, and NASA officials toured the High Bay 2 clean room. Engineers and technicians were putting the science instrument payload through final electrical testing. Outside the facility, in front of a scale model of the NISAR satellite, NASA’s NISAR Project Manager Phil Barela and ISRO’s NisAR Project Director CV Shrikant ceremonially broke fresh coconuts.
Scientists Track Tropical Landslide Creeping Below an African City
Researchers looked at week-to-week landslide motion over the past 4 1/2 years. They found that rainfall, tectonic activity, and urban development all played roles in landslide behavior. But the most important factor was water runoff. Water weakens rock by infiltrating its pores.
NASA Scientists & Historian Named AAAS 2022 Fellows
Four individuals with NASA affiliations have been named 2022 fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) The 2022 Fellows class includes 508 scientists, engineers, and innovators spanning 24 scientific disciplines. Rita Sambruna from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, was recognized in the AAAS Section on Astronomy. Jennifer Wiseman, also from Goddard, was honored in the AAAS section on Physics. Erik Conway of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California was honored for public outreach to the history of science.
NASA Spinoffs Bolster Climate Resilience, Improve Medical Care, More
NASA’s Spinoff publication features dozens of new commercialized technologies that use the agency’s technology, research, and/or expertise to benefit people around the globe. The publication also features a new cancer diagnostic tool informed by research on astronauts exposed to space radiation while aboard the International Space Station.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Completes Mars Sample Depot
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover successfully dropped the 10th and final tube planned for the depot. One sample from each pair taken so far now sits in the carefully arranged depot. The depot samples will serve as a backup set while the other half remain inside Perseverance.