SpaceX has narrow window for Ax-2 launch
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-16 09:06
SpaceX and Axiom Space will have only two opportunities this month to launch a private astronaut mission. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft is scheduled for May 21. That is the first of two launch opportunities for the mission, with a backup launch date May 22. If the mission doesn’t launch by May 22, they would have to wait until after other missions.
Space Force general: ‘No pushback’ from Congress on 2024 budget priorities
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-15 20:22
U.S. Space Force sees growing support from Congress for plans to build large constellations. Space Force’s proposed $30 billion budget in 2024 is nearly $4 billion above last year’s appropriations. LEO and medium Earth orbit constellations are now in development to help defend U.S. Forces.
Italy awards $256 million contract for 2026 in-orbit servicing mission
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-15 20:04
Italy's space agency has awarded local companies $256 million in pandemic relief funds. The money will be used for an in-orbit servicing demo in 2026. The servicer would have a dexterous robotic arm and test capabilities. The Italian government has allotted about 2 billion euros in total for its space industry.
The space industry needs COPUOS to rethink its approach to decision-making
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-15 16:13
Adam Routh is a Ph.D. Candidate at King’s College London preparing to defend his research exploring international governance of emerging space activities. The space industry is growing rapidly, as are space domain challenges like space debris or lacking norms of behavior. Yet, the international governance needed to address these changes and ensure space is developed sustainably remains largely stagnant.
NASA ends Lunar Flashlight mission because of thruster problems
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-15 11:37
Lunar Flashlight was intended to go into orbit around the moon. It was unable to do so because of problems with its propulsion system. Engineers spent several months trying to troubleshoot the problem. Lunar Flashlight was originally manifested on Artemis 1, the first launch of the Space Launch System.
JUICE deploys radar antenna
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-15 10:51
Radar antenna on newly-launched European mission to Jupiter has finally deployed. Engineers suspected that a pin used to hold the antenna in its stowed configuration had not separated as planned. JUICE will arrive at Jupiter in 2031, a year after NASA’s Europa Clipper mission.
Radiation resistant low light lens available from Resolve Optics – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-16 00:00
The Model 313 fixed focus lens from Resolve Optics has an aperture of f/1.4 to enable as much light as possible to be gathered and transmitted to sensors. Design optimized for use with 2/3-inch image format cameras, the Model 313 is the perfect choice for low light applications in space exploration.
Reflex Aerospace is prepped for their 1st commercial mission + expands investor base – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-16 00:00
Reflex Aerospace is gearing up for the company’s first commercial space mission. The Berlin and Munich-based space start-up has secured a fixed slot for the rocket launch of their demo satellite. The launch is set to occur in the fall of 2024 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The goal of this mission is to validate new technologies in space.
Fuel-free satellite pointing system from Zenno surpasses million$$ in sales – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-16 00:00
Zenno Astronautics has surpassed $48 million in product sales for the company’s superconducting magnetorquer for spacecraft attitude control, the Z01™. Built on Zenno’s proprietary superconducting magnet technology, Z01™ radically changes how spacecraft navigate space. Z01 is significantly smaller and lighter than existing attitude control technologies.
Rocket Lab is Coming to a Storm Near You with storm monitoring satellites for NASA’s TROPICS constellation – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-16 00:00
Rocket Lab has successfully deployed the first two TROPICS satellites into their precise orbits. Rocket Lab has an established track record of delivering back-to-back missions just days apart. “TROPICS aims to equip scientists and researchers with more accurate and timely storm data,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck.
NASA’s Juno Mission Getting Closer to Jupiter’s Moon Io
NASA's Juno spacecraft will fly past Jupiter's volcanic moon Io on Tuesday, May 16. The flyby of the Jovian moon will be the closest to date, at an altitude of about 22,060 miles (35,500 kilometers) The solar-powered spacecraft will also explore the ring system where some of the gas giant's inner moons reside.
Two NASA Studies Find Lower Methane Emissions in Los Angeles Region
Study focuses on eight spectroscopic sensors installed as part of the Megacities Carbon Project. The sensors have been gathering data across a large swath of Southern California since 2015. The researchers found that month-to-month fluctuations in methane concentrations measured at each sensor tower gradually fell from 2015 to 2020.
Skylab at 50 – How the United States entered the space station era
Original Publication Date: 2023-05-14 17:18
Skylab was America's first space station, launched on May 14, 1973. It was the first space station to be crewed by a human, and remains the only one operated exclusively by the U.S. The station's large size was a result of its use of surplus hardware from the Apollo program. Its Orbital Workshop was converted from an S-IVB stage that had been intended for a Saturn IB rocket.