NASA concerned Starship problems will delay Artemis 3
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-08 09:45
NASA has growing concerns that the lunar lander version of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle will not be ready in time for the Artemis 3 mission in late 2025. Artemis 3 would feature the first human landing on the moon in more than half a century. The company’s Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle is currently grounded after its first integrated launch.
Vulcan performs static-fire test
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-08 01:44
United Launch Alliance carried out a static-fire test of its Vulcan Centaur rocket June 7. The test is one of the final milestones before the vehicle’s first launch. The engine start sequence started at T-4.88 seconds, ULA says. The test exercised all the vehicle and ground systems up through ignition of the engines.
Nuview reveals backers including actor Leonardo DiCaprio
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 23:54
Nuview is planning to establish a constellation of light detection and ranging (lidar) satellites. The startup has raised $15 million to date, including $12 million in an ongoing Series A round. Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation established a nonprofit in 1998 to support organizations protecting wildlife.
Space Command seeks more efficient use of space-tracking and missile sensors
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 21:11
U.S. Space Command is taking over new missile defense responsibilities. Space Command is not getting in the business of responding to missile strikes or shooting them down. What is changing is the oversight and management of sensors used to detect missile launches. U.S. Strategic Command managed the sea-based and ground-based radar systems.
ESA launches AI project to monitor organic cotton supplies
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 20:43
European Space Agency launches demonstration project to certify organic cotton farms. Project aims to train software to use imagery from ESA satellites to detect cotton fields. Software will automatically classify cotton fields by their cultivation method. Fields certified as organic that are found to have failed to meet the criteria would be flagged.
Chinese commercial rocket firm launches 26 satellites, sets national record
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 14:49
Chinese commercial launch firm conducted its second orbital mission Wednesday. The second Lijian-1 solid rocket developed by CAS Space lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Aboard were the Shiyan-24A and Shiyan-24B experimental satellites. The other payloads were described as technological demonstrations and commercial remote-sensing.
York Space Systems acquires Emergent Space Technologies
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 13:28
York Space Systems acquires Emergent Space Technologies. Emergent develops flight software and engineering tools for space missions. York, based in Denver, did not disclose the value of the acquisition. York is one of the agency’s prime contractors building satellites for SDA’s Transport Layer.
ULA test-fires first Vulcan rocket at Cape Canaveral
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 00:00
United Launch Alliance’s first Vulcan Centaur rocket completed a critical test-firing of its BE-4 main engines. Vulcan rocket’s two BE-4 engines ignited at 9:05 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0105 UTC Thursday) “This is a huge milestone,” said Mark Peller, ULA’s vice president for the Vulcan rocket program. The test-firing sent a plume of exhaust out of the east-facing flame trench at pad 41.
Sidus Space to launch LizzieSat™ via SpaceX – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 00:00
Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU) will launch hyperspectral and multispectral imaging as well as Edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) incorporated into the company’s LizzieSat™ satellite via SpaceX Transporter missions starting in 2024. Sidus’ satellites are expected to circle the Earth every 95 minutes, with communication gaps less than 10 minutes on each orbit.
The Satellite Applications Catapult + Open Cosmos sign agreement for an OpenConstellation satellite – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 00:00
Satellite will host a miniaturized Earth Observation (EO) payload. Mission will demonstrate a concept of operations for a constellation performing pole-to-pole observation of the Atlantic Ocean. Data and imagery gathered from this satellite will be used for marine ecosystem research and climate change monitoring.
MDA selected by L3Harris for SDA’s Tranche 1 Tracking Layer constellation – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 00:00
MDA Ltd. (TSX:MDA) has been awarded a contract from L3Harris Technologies. MDA will design and build 14 flight sets of Ka-b,and steerable antennas and control electronics for L3Harris. The antennas and control electronics will be designed, built, assembled and tested at MDA’s state-of-the-art high-volume, satellite production facility in Montreal.
ULA’s Vulcan Flight Readiness Test is a success – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 00:00
The Vulcan qualification program is now more than 98% complete. The remaining items are associated with the final Centaur V testing. The team is reviewing the data from the systems involved in this test and, in parallel, continue with the Centaur V test stand anomaly investigation. Pending the data review and the investigation results, we will develop a plan for launch.
Kymeta is the first flat panel antenna for maritime industry on OneWeb’s LEO network – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 00:00
Kymeta and OneWeb announce Peregrine u8 LEO terminal is now commercially available. First flat panel antenna to serve the maritime market on OneWeb’s LEO network. Means all large vessels – from super yachts to commercial fishing and shipping vessels – can now connect easily and seamlessly at sea as they would on land.
Comtech Board of Directors appoints new board members – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 00:00
Comtech has appointed former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Hon. Ellen M. Lord, and former U.S. Army Chief Information Officer (CIO) Lieutenant General (LTG) (retired), Bruce T. Crawford to the company’s Board of Directors. Ms. Lord served from August 2017 until January 2021.
China’s Lijian-1 launches 26 satellites (Kinetica-1) – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 00:00
The second Lijian-1 launch vehicle (Lijian-1 Y2) launched 26 small satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, China, on 7 June 2023. The satellites will be mainly used for technology verification and commercial remote sensing information services.
US-German Satellites Show California Water Gains After Record Winter
GRACE-FO measurements include all the water contained in the lakes, rivers, soil, snowpack, and underground aquifers within the Central Valley region. Between October 2022 and March 2023, storms provided enough water to raise the amount of water within the “swimming pool” by about 20 inches (about 500 millimeters)
Vulcan being readied for maiden launch with testing at SLC-41
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-07 15:45
Vulcan-Centaur rocket rolled out to Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) on May 11 for further testing. This was followed by Flight Readiness Firing (FRF) testing that initially required a rollback before attempting again on June 7, successfully. Vulcan is designed to replace both Atlas V and Delta IV Heavy, which are currently being phased out.
Webb unveils the secrets of the early universe via deep field, peers into stellar nurseries
Original Publication Date: 2023-06-06 18:24
JWST advanced deep extragalactic survey (JADES) uses Webb’s incredible deep-field surveying abilities to create a deep field that shows over 45,000 galaxies. One of the first deep fields from JADES spotted galaxies that existed when the universe was less than 600 million years old. Webb’s increased mirror size, powerful instruments, and sensitivity to infrared have allowed it to create some of the deepest deep fields of all time.