Falcon Heavy delay affects space station manifest
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-25 01:00
A SpaceX launch of commercial satellites on a Falcon Heavy could upend the schedule. A private astronaut mission that was scheduled for early May would likely be pushed back. The April 28 spacewalk will do some preparatory work for upcoming solar array spacewalks. NASA wants to complete those spacewalks by early July.
Ursa Major to supply upper-stage engine for Astra’s new rocket
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 21:43
Ursa Major is a Colorado-based manufacturer of liquid engines for small space launchers and hypersonic vehicles. Astra Space selected the company’s Hadley liquid engine to power the upper stage of its new Rocket 4 launch vehicle. Astra expects the first test flights for Rocket 4 to begin in late 2023.
Report: Space Force could benefit from commercial data to monitor satellites and debris
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 20:39
GAO: DoD lacks consistent process to evaluate commercial data and tools for space situational awareness. Space Force has a Unified Data Library (UDL) to consolidate commercial and U.S. Government data. Many of the military’s systems used to track space objects are not compatible with data in the UDL.
KMI advertises prices for debris removal
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 19:56
Kall Morris Inc. Printed cards to show prices the company will charge for grabbing space junk. KMI is working to prove its technology can remove debris from orbit. Testing on the ground has been conducted with funding from the Space Force. KMI plans to conduct a 2024 International Space Station demonstration.
Inmarsat Q&A | Mobile satellite services coming back stronger than a ‘90s trend
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 16:06
Inmarsat is in the middle of being sold to U.S.-based Viasat. Viasat and Inmarsat operate communications satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) Most of the players chasing the direct-to-device opportunity are in low Earth orbit (LEO)
Maxar eyes summer launch of WorldView Legion imaging satellites
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 13:30
Maxar Technologies is preparing for the first launch this summer of its next-generation imaging satellites. Maxar plans to send six WorldView Legions into sun-synchronous and mid-inclination orbits. The six-satellite Legion constellation is key to the future of the company’s Earth intelligence division.
ST Engineering’s 1st SAR satellite is launched via ISRO’s PSLV-C55/TeLEOS-2 mission – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 00:00
TeLEOS-2 was successfully launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) at 4:50 p.m. (Singapore time) TeLEOS-2 features a made-in-Singapore SAR payload and is able to capture day and night images under all-weather conditions. The satellite offers 1m high-resolution imagery, with an average of 14 passes a day.
U.S. Space Force (USSF) + DISA award million$$ CTC contract to SES Space & Defense – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 00:00
SES Space & Defense will provide satellite communications capabilities in support of the U.S. Army Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WINT-T) training activities. The five-year, Commercial Satellite Communications (COMSATCOM) Transponded Capacity (CTC) contract worth $27.54 million has been awarded.
Space Systems Command (SSC) awards STP-S29B launch service Task Order to Astra Space, Inc. – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 00:00
Astra Space, Inc. Of Alameda, California, awarded a $11.5 million Task Order for the Space Test Program (STP)-S29B launch service. This is the fifth Task Order under the Orbital Services Program-4 (OSP-4) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.
Astroscale secures JPY 3 billion loan agreement with Mizuho Bank – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 00:00
Astroscale Holdings Inc. Has entered into a loan agreement of JPY 3 billion (approx. $22 million) with Mizuho Bank, Ltd. This agreement will provide Astroscale with additional financial support for the company’s current and future projects.
91 organizations send letter to Congress + Biden Administration re: 3rd anniversary of Ligado Order – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 00:00
Ninety-One groups — across a wide range of industries — have sent a letter urging the Biden Administration and Congress to work with the FCC to stay and ultimately set aside the harmful Ligado Order. The Department of Defense reiterated the threat to national security missions in a statement released last September.
Eutelsat joins the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 00:00
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) (Paris:ETL) has become a full member of the Brussels-based, Global Satellite Operators Association. Eutelsat adheres to the Association’s endeavors, notably ensuring the availability of satellite frequency bands during the ongoing World Radiocommunication Conference 2023.
Leonardo DRS’ mission demonstrates innovative technology to capture Earth images for NASA – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-24 00:00
Leonardo DRS, Inc. (NASDAQ:DRS) announces that its new high-precision radiometer technology is being used to measure the Earth’s surface temperature from space. The technology could pave the way for future satellite constellations dedicated to measuring infrared energy radiating from Earth’ssurface.
NASA InSight Study Provides Clearest Look Ever at Martian Core
The InSight team detected the quakes using just the one seismometer they had on Mars. Detecting seismic waves that cross through a shadow zone is exceptionally difficult. About a fifth of the core is composed of elements such as sulfur, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen.
As megaconstellations grow, scientists become concerned with their impacts on astronomy
Original Publication Date: 2023-04-23 20:23
SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites have become infamous for photobombing observations from ground-based telescopes. These “photobombings” point to a concerning future for astronomy in low Earth orbit (LEO), as telescopes in LEO may begin to face the same problems ground-based telescopes face today. To learn more about this growing issue, NSF sat down with astrophysicist Dr. Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.