Intuitive Machines sets mid-November launch date for first lunar lander
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-15 02:08
Intuitive Machines offers clearer projection of when its first lunar lander mission will launch. Company also gives cloudier forecast of its finances. IM-1 lunar lander mission is slated for launch on a Falcon 9 during a six-day window. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is complete but awaiting the readiness of its launcher.
AST SpaceMobile fully funds first five commercial direct-to-device satellites
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-15 00:37
AST SpaceMobile has fully funded its first five commercial satellites slated to launch with SpaceX early next year. The Texas-based direct-to-device startup raised $115 million in debt after raising $64 million in equity. AST SpaceMobile needs around 90 BlueBird satellites for its planned 5G broadband service. Company CEO Abel Avellan expects to start commercial services three months after launching first batch of five commercial satellites.
NASA developing larger cubesat payload adapter for SLS
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-15 00:20
NASA developing larger payload adapter for cubesats flying on next version of SLS. It's unclear if upcoming SLS launches will carry any such secondary payloads. The inaugural flight of the SLS, the Artemis 1 mission, carried 10 cubesats. The cubesats that flew on Artemis 1 had mixed results.
Intelsat meets conditions for $3.7 billion C-band clearing payout
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-14 20:42
Intelsat is due for a $3.7 billion windfall late this year after clearing C-band spectrum. The FCC set a deadline for satellite operators to clear the spectrum by December 2025. Intelsat was awarded about $1.2 billion after hitting an interim 2021 milestone.
Space Force pitch to private sector: ‘Help us with space protection’
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-14 20:00
The U.S. Space Force is turning to the private sector to fill critical gaps. Companies are urged to participate in the next Hyperspace Challenge scheduled for this fall. The challenge seeks innovations in threat identification, space awareness, on-orbit mobility. The Space RCO is responsible for filling technology gaps identified by Space Command.
Earth observation evolution: Bigger satellites promise bigger payoff for imagery operators
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-14 15:03
Capella Space’s latest generation of Acadia synthetic aperture radar satellites are 50 percent larger. Customers want high-resolution imagery and a high signal-to-noise ratio. Capella bought Electron launches to send Acadia satellites to mid-inclination orbits.
China launches first geosynchronous orbit radar satellite
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-14 12:14
China launches what is thought to be the world’s first geosynchronous orbit synthetic aperture radar satellite. The L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite will provide all-day, all-weather observation of China. The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Spacecraft Technology.
Rocket Lab to launch a NASA research mission – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-15 00:00
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has signed a double-launch deal with NASA to deliver the Agency’s climate change, research-focused mission, PREFIRE, to LEO in 2024. The two dedicated missions on Electron will deploy one smallsat each to a 525 km circular orbit from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand from May of 2024.
UK partnership between Pulsar Fusion and the University of Michigan – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-14 00:00
Pulsar Fusion, developers of clean space propulsion systems and services through nuclear fusion, have announced a trans-Atlantic partnership concerning electric propulsion research. Electric propulsion and specifically “Hall effect thrusters” are a key technology enabler for spacecraft. NASA has identified a strategic need over the next decade for electric propulsion, in particular in the field of high-power electric propulsion and propellants.
RTX space sensor to monitor coastal ecosystem health – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-14 00:00
The Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer (GLIMR) sensor has completed its Critical Design Review. The instrument will provide high-sensitivity, high-spatial and high-temporal resolution measurements of coastal and ocean ecosystems. Decision-makers will use GLIMR data to respond rapidly to natural and manmade coastal water disasters, such as harmful algae blooms and oil spills.
Warpspace selected for NEDO’s “SBIR Program” for FY2023 – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-14 00:00
Warpspace has reported that the company’s proposal, “Development of a modem and router to realize a multi-protocol platform for optical communications in space,” has been selected for the Japanese “SBIR Program” (one-stop-shop type) for fiscal year 2023. Warpspace will develop optical communication modems and routers that are compatible and interoperable in satellite optical communication networks.
Metal additive manufacturing results in Rocket Turbopump Design – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-08-14 00:00
Zachary Lesan and Patrick Watson started an independent effort on turbopump design and manufacture. The project reinforced some significant points being made about next-generation rocketry. All Reaper parts were 3D printed on a single build plate. The hardest, yet perhaps most rewarding, task was to reach out to industry for collaboration partners.
NASA Announces Launch Service for Arctic Warming Experiment
Rocket Lab USA Inc. Of Long Beach, California, to provide the launch service for the agency’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission. The PREFIRE mission will help close a gap in our understanding of how much of Earth’s heat is lost to space.