OroraTech raises 25 million euros for satellite wildfire detection system
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-15 09:54
Munich-based startup OroraTech has raised 25 million euros ($27.3 million) OroraTech is developing a constellation of small satellites equipped with thermal cameras. The company currently operates two satellites in low Earth orbit but has plans for a constellation of up to 100.
Xichang to build commercial spaceport to boost China’s launch capacity
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-14 17:22
China's inland Xichang launch center is set to build a commercial spaceport. The spaceport aims to enhance the country’s access to space. Chinese commercial space companies are developing reusable, medium-lift launch vehicles. China’s launch rate has risen from a national record 22 in 2016, to 55 in 2022 and 67 in 2023.
The expanding battlefield: Army’s push into space warfare
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-14 14:57
The U.S. Army is launching initiatives to bolster its space warfare expertise. The move highlights what officials describe as an increasing synergy between ground and orbital operations. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has served as a stark reminder of the critical role space systems play in contemporary warfare.
France and Germany join U.S.-led space defense coalition
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-14 14:25
France and Germany formally join Operation Olympic Defender. The move signals a deepening of military space ties between Europe and the U.S. The coalition previously included the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. France has ramped up its military space efforts in recent years.
Future-proof, reliable, and secure avionics for human space flight, space transportation, and related applications
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-14 14:10
TTTech Aerospace has been working on safe, reliable embedded networking and computing platform solutions for more than 25 years. NASA’s Orion spacecraft, the Lunar Gateway, and the European launcher Ariane 6 are three active programs that unite space agencies and commercial companies from different countries. TTEthernet, a commercial implementation of Deterministic Ethernet is the basis of these data networks.
How to prevent space collisions: the challenging journey of satellite deployments
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-14 13:30
SpaceX launched over 1,800 in 2023 alone. The risk of collisions, which could create dangerous debris fields, is real and growing. The ability to safely manage space traffic ensures that we can continue to expand our presence in orbit without jeopardizing the very resources we rely on.
Europe lifts off from its launcher crisis
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-14 12:00
Ariane 6 launched for the first time on July 9 from French Guiana. Ariane 5 was retired before Ariane 6 was ready, and Europe had no independent access to space. Ariane 6 task force says problem can be corrected with software changes. Arianespace plans to perform six launches next year and 9 to 10 launches annually by 2027.
SpaceX launches Europa Clipper, NASA’s largest spacecraft to “study an ocean world beyond Earth…mind blowing science” – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-14 00:00
Launch of Europa Clipper captured by Satnews from SpaceX streaming video. On Monday, October 14 at 12:06 p.m. ET Falcon Heavy launched NASA’s Europa Clipper mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the sixth and final flight for the first stage boosters supporting this mission.
SpaceX’s successful Sunday Starship launch — lucky 13, and on first try Mechazilla caught the booster – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-14 00:00
SpaceX's Super Heavy booster performed its landing burn and was caught by the chopstick arms of the launch and catch tower at Starbase. Thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria had to be met prior to the catch attempt, and thanks to the tireless work of SpaceX engineers, we succeeded with catch on our first attempt. The returning booster will slow down from supersonic speeds, resulting in audible sonic booms in the area around the landing zone.
AccelerComm welcomes Radisys to 5G LEO satellite ecosystem – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-15 00:00
Radisys and AccelerComm have formalized a long-standing partnership. The collaboration aims to enable SATCOM technology with 3GPP standards-compliant solutions. Radisys’ 5G software is equipped with NTN capabilities, enabling access to GEO/MEO/LEO satellites.
Simera Sense expands into the UK with establishment of a local office – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-15 00:00
Simera Sense, headquartered in Belgium, has incorporated a new company subsidiary in the United Kingdom, based in Glasgow. This follows on the €13.5 million funding secured in an investment round earlier this year and the recent opening of an office in Toulouse, France. Both of these sites are ideally placed to offer support to the company's primary production facilities in Cape Town, South Africa.
L3Harris large unfurlable mesh reflector arrives in France for integration on Biomass satellite – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-15 00:00
L3Harris recently shipped the firm’s 12 meter folded rib reflector to Airbus in Toulouse, France, for integration into the Biomass satellite. Biomass will deliver crucial data on the amount of biomass and carbon stored in our forests and how that impacts Earth’s climate.
Reaction Dynamics to test their hybrid propulsion tech with Koonibba Test Range launch – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-15 00:00
Reaction Dynamics has signed a contract with Southern Launch to conduct the inaugural launch and flight of their RE-102 hybrid rocket engine and Aurora vehicle. The Aurora suborbital mission will serve as the maiden flight qualification test for Reaction Dynamics’ rocket engine within the vacuum of space. The two-stage vehicle is designed to reach an altitude of 125 km above Earth, providing critical performance data.
NASA’s Hubble Watches Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Behave Like a Stress Ball
"As far as we know, it's not been identified before," Said Amy Simon of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "This is really the first time we've had the proper imaging cadence of the GRS," She said. "That was very unexpected, and at present there are no hydrodynamic explanations"
Does Distant Planet Host Volcanic Moon Like Jupiter’s Io?
A sodium cloud that the findings suggest is close to but slightly out of sync with the exoplanet, a Saturn-size gas giant named WASP-49 b. Within our solar system, gas emissions from Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io create a similar phenomenon. It’s likely these planetary companions have gone undetected because they are too small and dim for current telescopes to detect.
NASA-Funded Study Assesses Pollution Near Los Angeles-Area Warehouses
Researchers found that warehouse capacity correlated with pollution. ZIP codes in the 75th percentile of warehouse square footage had 0.16 micrograms per cubic meter more PM2.5 than those in the 25th percentile. Researchers also found that the gaps widened in the holiday shopping season.
NASA, SpaceX launch historic Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-14 12:26
NASA and SpaceX have launched NASA’s Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Falcon Heavy launched during an instantaneous launch window on Monday, Oct. 14, at 12:05 PM EDT (16:05 UTC) Europa Clipper will be the largest planetary science mission ever developed by NASA and the first mission to perform an in-depth investigation of Europa and its potential habitability.
SpaceX navigates Q3 anomalies, starting ambitious Q4 goals
Original Publication Date: 2024-10-13 19:02
SpaceX's record-breaking streak of successful launches and landings ended during the third quarter of 2024. The company suffered a failure during launch with Falcon 9’s second stage and a Falcon 9 first stage landing failure. More recently, a third issue arose during the disposal of a Falcon 9 second stage. Despite this, the company was able to carry out missions like Polaris Dawn, its riskiest human spaceflight mission to date.