Orbital Outpost X names Negar Feher CEO
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-30 10:00
Negar Feher is the new CEO of Silicon Valley space technology startup Orbital Outpost X. Feher has held management and technical roles at Lockheed Martin, Maxar Technologies, Momentus Space. OOX develops components, systems and subsystems for commercial space stations. The Mountain View-based company announced a $5 million convertible note in May.
PLD Space wins Spanish government funding for Miura 5 launch vehicle
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-30 08:06
PLD Space has secured 40.5 million euros ($43.8 million) from the Spanish government. The company won the funding after completing the preliminary design review. Miura 5 is a small launch vehicle with a payload of up to 540 kilograms. Test flights are scheduled to begin as soon as 2025 from a launch site in French Guiana.
Grasp instrument monitors Earth’s atmosphere and surface
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-30 02:17
Grasp Global’s instrument is monitoring atmospheric aerosols in orbit. The multi-angle, multispectral polarimeter, known as GAPMAP-0, was launched in April 2023. Grasp is moving ahead with plans to establish a 10-satellite constellation by 2028.
ABI shows promise for methane monitoring
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-29 23:59
NOAA satellite could provide valuable data on methane emissions. Methane is second only to carbon dioxide in its atmospheric warming potential. Researchers identified a large natural gas pipeline release and quantified total emissions. By comparing imagery captured every five minutes, researchers showed how emissions changed over time.
Ground delays holding back Eutelsat’s global LEO broadband services
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-29 21:47
Eutelsat expects to take a 7% revenue hit as delays prevent OneWeb from providing global coverage. The company had planned to start providing the service worldwide in early 2024. Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke said the company is behind on rolling out gateways.
Former head of NRO’s space launch office joins Stellar Solutions
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-29 20:47
Col. Chad Davis has joined defense and intelligence contractor Stellar Solutions. The 30-year-old company specializes in systems engineering for ground systems and launch vehicles. It has more than 300 employees working with U.S. And international aerospace companies. Davis served in the Air Force and Space Force for 28 years.
Airbus takes over Space Coast constellation factory
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-29 16:30
Eutelsat OneWeb has sold its 50% share of the factory that built more than 600 satellites. Airbus said Jan. 29 it is now the sole owner of Airbus OneWeb Satellites. The eight-year-old facility’s semi-automated production line was producing two satellites daily.
SpaceX to dispatch Northrop Grumman’s NG-20 mission via Falcon 9 on January 30th – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-29 00:00
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, January 30th., for Falcon 9’s launch of Northrop Grumman’s 20th Commercial Resupply Services mission (NG-20) The instantaneous launch window is set for 12:07 p.m. ET, with a backup launch opportunity available on Thursday, February 1st., at 11:18 a.m. ET. A live webcast of this mission will start on X @SpaceX about 15 minutes prior to liftoff.
Kinéis smallsat IoT launches via Rocket Lab to occur this summer – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-29 00:00
Kinéis has announced the launch window for the first of five launches of the company’s smallsats that are dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT) The mission of Kinéis’ Space IoT is to connect and locate any object, anywhere on the Earth’s surface, guaranteeing data transmission in near-real time, at low bit rates, with minimal energy consumption.
GCF’s certification of 3GPP satellite connectivity – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-30 00:00
GCF adds support for satellite communications and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) 3GPP NTN NB-IoT and eMTC technology is being included in the GCF Certification Criteria. Device manufacturers can certify their devices to be directly connected to different satellite operators.
GITAI autonomous robotic arm set to launch to ISS – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-29 00:00
GITAI USA Inc. Has announced that their 1.5-meter-long, autonomous, dual robotic arm system (S2) is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket (NG-20 mission) on January 30th. The S2 will conduct an external demonstration of in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) while onboard the ISS.
Spectra Group launches GENSS tactical radio – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-29 00:00
Spectra Group (UK) Ltd. Has launched of their new tactical radio communications solution, GENSS. GENSS is a significant advancement in the field of tactical radio communications. It boasts high-capacity, network sensing capabilities and has increased data rates over 25kHz LTAC channels, scaling up to 90kBps.
Archer Aviation + NASA sign collaborative Space Act Agreement – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-29 00:00
Archer Aviation has signed a NASA Space Act Agreement that will kick off an initial project that will be focused on studying high-performance battery cells. Tests will be performed using one of the most advanced high speed X-ray facilities in the world. Maturing battery technology is anticipated to be a key enabling factor for the mass production and adoption of electric aviation.
NASA’s Webb Depicts Staggering Structure in 19 Nearby Spiral Galaxies
Spiral galaxy NGC 628 is 32 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces. Webb’s image of NGC 628 shows a densely populated face-on spiral galaxy anchored by its central region. The spiraling filamentary structure looks somewhat like a cross section of a nautilus shell.
NASA Space Tech Spinoffs Benefit Earth Medicine, Moon to Mars Tools
NASA’s annual Spinoff book features commercialized technologies from the agency’s research and development expertise. The medical innovations include the first wireless arthroscope to receive clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Technologies for diagnosing illnesses like the coronavirus, hepatitis, and cancer have also stemmed from NASA’s space exploration and science endeavors.
Ingenuity’s mission ends after 72 flights
Original Publication Date: 2024-01-28 18:42
NASA announced its Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, had ended its mission after experiencing an anomaly during its 72nd flight on Jan. 18. Images recovered after the flight showed severe damage to at least one of the aircraft’s rotor blades, making further flights impossible. The small helicopter accompanied NASA’s Perseverance rover as a technology demonstration. During its 72 flights, Ingenuity flew for almost 129 minutes, traveling about 17 kilometers.