ViaSat-3 failure investigation to conclude next week
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-09 04:54
Viasat expects to know next week what caused antenna deployment issue. Issue severely impaired debut ViaSat-3 broadband satellite over the Americas. Viasat has also stopped work on ViaSat-4, a high throughput satellite. Inmarsat-6 (I-6) F2 spacecraft encountered with power subsystem while raising orbit.
Virgin Galactic to halt Unity suborbital flights by mid-2024
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-09 01:23
Virgin Galactic will stop flights of its current suborbital vehicle by mid-2024. Company executives said flights of VSS Unity would move to a quarterly frequency. Unity completed its fifth commercial suborbital mission Nov. 2. Virgin Galactic announced Nov. 7 it would be laying off staff and reducing other expenses.
U.S. Air Force X-37B spaceplane to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 21:01
The X-37B will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time. The mission, designated USSF-52, will conduct a wide range of tests. The X-37B is a derivative of the X-37A designed by NASA in the late 1990s.
Startups, universities selected for accelerator focused on space domain awareness
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 18:54
Space Force selects startups and universities to participate in new accelerator program. Program aims to leverage emerging commercial capabilities to help the Space Force better monitor objects and events in orbit. Three-month accelerator kicked off Oct. 28 at the Space Systems Command’s Tools, Applications and Processing (TAP) Lab.
Webinar Replay | Battle of the Bands – What’s at stake for space at WRC-23
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 16:28
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) convenes its quadrennial World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) in Dubai. While the satellite industry could gain access to more radio waves, vital frequencies could also be taken away to support 5G and other bandwidth-hungry terrestrial wireless services.
DoD signs $270 million agreement to acquire SES satellite communications services
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 15:44
SES to provide services to the U.S. Defense Department under a five-year agreement. The agreement is for satellite communications services from the SES O3b broadband constellation. The contract is a task order awarded as part of a so-called blanket purchase agreement. SES recently started deploying its next-generation O3b mPower satellites.
SpaceNews 2023 Icon Awards honorees: Unsung Hero
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 15:08
The SpaceNews 2023 Icon Awards will honor the unsung heroes shaping the global space industry for the better. The finalists for the Unsung Hero award will be unveiled on Tuesday, Dec. 5. The SmallSat conference predates SpaceNews itself by two years. The Space ISAC fosters government and industry collaboration to protect satellite infrastructure from hackers.
Veterans Day, Lest We Forget… – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 00:00
Satnews Publishers will be closed on Friday, November 10, and return on Monday, November 13. Satnews Publishers recognizes that many nations’ veterans are also protecting their countries, and even though those nations have their special day of acknowledgement, we include them in our tribute to U.S. Veterans.
Two Koreas race to launch first homegrown military spy satellites – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 00:00
South Korea is set to launch its domestically-developed reconnaissance satellite on Nov. 30 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. North Korea has also sought to put “a large number of reconnaissance satellites” for military purposes by 2025 as ordered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in March 2022.
INTEGRASYS + Gilat strategic alliance to advance smart solutions compatibility – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 00:00
INTEGRASYS and Gilat have announced the successful technical integration and compatibility of the company’s Satmotion Pocket product with Gilat modems and SkyEdge II-c VSAT platform. This collaboration is geared toward enhancing the development and technical capabilities of smart solutions.
U.S. Department of Defense awards MEO BPA to SES Space & Defense – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 00:00
SES Space & Defense awarded Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), low-latency, high-throughput satellite (HTS) services. BPA has ceiling of just under $270 million over a five-year period.
NASA launches its first on-demand streaming service + updated app – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 00:00
NASA’s new on-demand streaming service and upgraded app are now available. These new digital platforms are the landing place of original video series, live launch coverage, kids’ content, Spanish-language programming, and the latest news as NASA continues to improve life on Earth through innovation, exploration, and discovery.
AeroVironment’s JUMP 20 medium UAS demos maritime autonomous takeoff + landing at vessel speeds of more than 20 knot – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-11-08 00:00
AeroVironment’s JUMP 20 VTOL Medium UAS exceeded expectations during the recent U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/4th Fleet Hybrid Fleet Campaign Event (HFCE) The JUMP 20 provided ship-based intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting (ISR-T) support to USFOURTHFLT and USSOUTHCOM during the week-long, at-sea exercise onboard USNS Burlington.
NASA’s Lucy Surprises Again, Observes 1st-ever Contact Binary Orbiting Asteroid
Lucy is now heading back toward Earth for a gravity assist in December 2024. That close flyby will propel the spacecraft back through the main asteroid belt. It will then observe asteroid Donaldjohanson in 2025, and then on to the Trojan asteroids in 2027.
NASA Analysis Finds Strong El Niño Could Bring Extra Floods This Winter
A strong El Niño could bring flooding to the western coasts of the Americas this winter. El Niño is a periodic climate phenomenon characterized by higher-than-normal sea levels and warmer-than-average ocean temperatures along the equatorial Pacific. A strong El Niño could result in up to five instances of a type of flooding called a 10-year flood event this winter in cities including Seattle and San Diego.
First Science Images Released From ESA Mission With NASA Contributions
Euclid’s wide view was able to capture the entirety of the Perseus galaxy cluster, and many galaxies beyond it, in just one image. The telescope’s survey approach is necessary to study dark energy, the mysterious driver behind our universe’s accelerating expansion.