SpaceX proceeding with Starship orbital launch attempt after static fire
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-22 08:57
SpaceX official says rocket's first orbital launch attempt is likely in March. The company's Super Heavy booster and its launch pad are in good shape, he says. Only 31 of the 33 Raptor engines in the Super Heavy booster fired. The company still needs to obtain an FAA launch license.
Rivada says it has launches covered for a constellation against the clock
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-23 19:21
Rivada Space Networks has secured the launches and financing it needs to deploy 300 satellites. Florida-headquartered Terran Orbital would build the 500-kilogram satellites. Terran Orbital hopes to have the first four satellites ready for a launch as early as 2025. Rivada has spectrum licenses covering 576 proposed Ka-band satellites.
Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission preparing for summer launch
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-23 18:37
Polaris Program is a series of missions that will start using Crew Dragon. The highlight of Polaris Dawn will be a spacewalk, or EVA, the first from a Crew Dragon spacecraft. Because Crew Dragon does not have an airlock, the entire cabin will be depressurized.
SpaceX postpones Starlink launch as NASA crew mission takes priority – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-22 00:00
SpaceX has postponed the launch of another batch of Starlink internet satellites from Thursday. The company’s team in Florida prioritizes preparations for the launch of a four-man next week bound for the International Space Station. The Starlink 6-1 mission was slated to take off Thursday afternoon from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Relativity sets launch date for first flight of Terran 1 rocket – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-22 00:00
Relativity Space plans to skip a final test-firing of its first fully stacked Terran 1 rocket. The methane-fueled, 3D-printed launcher will take off from Cape Canaveral on March 8. The rocket arrived at Cape Canaveral last June after Relativity built the two-stage vehicle and its engines.
Luxembourg to leverage SES O3b mPOWER for Europe + NATO – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-23 00:00
Luxembourg will leverage SES’s high-performance, second-generation, Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) system – O3b mPOWER. The program – MEO Global Services (MGS) – valued at €195 million over 10 years. Luxembourg and the U.S. Entered into a support partnership with the aim of commercially contracting satellite communications capabilities.
Terran Orbital’s Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems wins billion$ contract to build hundreds of LEO satellites for Rivada Space Networks – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-22 00:00
Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) has announced that the firm’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc. (“Tyvak”), has been awarded a $2.4 billion contract to design, build and deploy 288 LEO satellites for Rivada Space Networks.
Israel’s 1st Space Telescope to be launched by NASA – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-22 00:00
NASA will launch Israel’s first space telescope mission, the Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite. ULTRASAT will investigate the secrets of short-duration events in the universe. The results will shed light on the workings of everything from black holes and gravitational wave sources.
D-Orbit’s launch contract with Patriot Infovention – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-22 00:00
The contract covers the launch and deployment of a satellite in October 2023. The satellite will demonstrate both the first Thai space-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) communications systems and aviation monitoring system of Thailand. This mission is going to be a fundamental stepping stone for Patriot Infovention as, by 2027, they aim to launch a satellite constellation.
Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) partners with ATLAS Space Operations for satellite ground infrastructure – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-22 00:00
Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) and ATLAS Space Operations Inc. Have announced a strategic partnership to use a teleport in Rwanda. The teleport will feature a 9.3 meter antenna in different frequency bands capable of servicing spacecraft on lunar missions. The agreement was signed on February 21st 2023 between Mike Carey, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of ATLAS and Col Francis Ngabo, CEO of RSA.
Cobham Satcom + RBC Signals announce partnership – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-22 00:00
Cobham Satcom and RBC Signals announced an expanded partnership to deploy the former’s proven and highly versatile Tracker 6000 and 3700 series ground stations across the globe. The strategic agreement will significantly augment RBC Signals’ extensive owned and partner ground network.
INTEGRASYS launches VeryFiling an ITU filing tool for satellite operators and regulators – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-22 00:00
VeryFiling is a fast and easy-to-use disruptive technology, based on the well-known Link Budget Calculation, Beam Budget. The interface of VeryFiling is a web-based and multi-user tool to facilitate the test and evaluation of the required EPFD calculations.
Study Finds Venus’ ‘Squishy’ Outer Shell May Be Resurfacing the Planet
Venus provides a window into the past to help us better understand how Earth may have looked over 2.5 billion years ago. Recent studies suggest the youthful appearance of Venus’ surface is likely due to volcanic activity, which drives regional resurfacing today. This finding is supported by the new research indicating higher heat flow in coronae regions – a state that Earth’s lithosphere may have resembled in the past.