Small satellites aim to fill big shoes for military weather data
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-10 10:00
Orion Space Solutions is looking to demonstrate how shoebox-sized satellites can capture vital meteorological observations. The company is one of two selected by the U.S. Space Force for the Electro-Optical/Infrared Weather System program. The military is considering deploying a distributed architecture to monitor weather conditions from space.
Relativity Space delays NSSL bid, focuses on 2026 Terran R debut
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-10 10:00
Relativity Space is putting its initial bid for National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 contracts on hold for now. The California-based company’s new Terran R rocket won’t fly until 2026 at the earliest. Relativity has not yet announced its first customer for the debut launch of Terran R.
Investment banks take stock of evolving space finance challenges
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-09 23:51
Investment bankers: It's harder for young space companies to close growth-stage funding rounds. Poor trading performance of early-stage space companies is weighing on businesses' ability to build scale. Citigroup advised Sierra Space on a $290 million Series B funding round last year. Later growth stages should become easier for space companies as markets mature.
NASA rolls out new space sustainability strategy
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-09 22:51
NASA releases first volume of an integrated Space Sustainability Strategy. Strategy sets six goals for NASA, working with the rest of the space community. NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy says strategy is intended to tackle complexity of the topic. Melroy says NASA will then develop a technology portfolio to address the issues.
NRO eyes diverse satellite fleet and AI-powered ground systems in modernization push
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-09 21:43
The National Reconnaissance Office is developing a more diverse fleet of satellites. The agency is also overhauling its satellite ground architecture. It is investing heavily in new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The NRO’s push to modernize its ground systems started several years ago.
Planet unveils platform to merge data with analytics
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-09 20:44
Planet unveiled a platform April 9 that merges Earth-observation datasets with Sentinel Hub cloud-based analytics and tools. The Planet Insights Platform is designed for customers focused on change detection. Planet gained Sentinel hub in 2023, when the San Francisco-based company acquired Slovenian startup Sinergise Labs.
Space Force budget inches upward in tight fiscal year
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-09 18:00
The U.S. Space Force received $29 billion in funding for fiscal year 2024. While below the $30 billion the Space Force had requested, the approved funding represents an increase from the $26.3 billion enacted for fiscal 2023. The 2024 spending bill was approved just days after the Biden administration unveiled its budget proposal for fiscal 2025.
ULA’s success story — Delta IV Heavy’s last launch on an NROL-70 mission – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-09 00:00
ULA’s cameras wobbled as the Delta IV Heavy engines roared in the first second of liftoff. The rocket, carrying the NROL-70 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, marks the end of the Delta era and initiates the future of heavy lift on ULA’s next generation Vulcan rocket. Friday’s forecast shows an 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for launch.
New NASA strategy envisions sustainable future for space ops – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-10 00:00
NASA has released the first part of its integrated Space Sustainability Strategy. The strategy aims to advance the agency’s role as a global leader on this crucial issue. The first volume of the strategy focuses on sustainability in Earth orbit. NASA plans to produce additional volumes focusing on the other domains.
Flight Works developing modular refuelable ASCENT propulsion unit for AFRL – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-10 00:00
Flight Works is developing a green, refuelable, ASCENT-based Propulsion Unit with Modular Applications (PUMA) for the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) This system is the first in what is designed to be a family of systems to support the United States Space Force (USSF), NASA and commercial missions.
Iridium signs 5 year contract with L3Harris to protect FAA critical nfrastructure – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-09 00:00
Iridium Communications Inc. Has signed a new, five year commercial contract with L3Harris Technologies. Under the terms of the five-year agreement, Iridium will provide the STL service to more than three dozen,L3Harris-operated, communications network backbone nodes.
RTX announces grant for Space Foundation Discovery Center – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-09 00:00
RTX provided a $150,000 grant to Space Foundation Discovery Center. Funding will support: Renovations of Space Foundation Discovery Center, the region’s first and only dedicated space, science and technology center. Support of Space Foundation’s Discover the Universe ScholarTrips program.
Through Astronaut Eyes, Virtual Reality Propels Gateway Forward
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-09 12:08
Astronauts Raja Chari and Nicole Mann are using virtual reality to explore the space station. By combining VR models with real-world astronaut experience, NASA designers can make tweaks to Gateway’s interior design. The space station is a critical component of the Artemis campaign to return humans to the lunar surface.
NASA’s Lola Fatoyinbo Receives Royal Geographical Society Prize
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-09 10:00
Dr. Lola Fatoyinbo received the Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize. Fatoyinbo is a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. The prize recognizes “outstanding achievement by an individual in the pursuit and/or application of geographical research.”
NASA's Curiosity Searches for New Clues About Mars' Ancient Water – NASA Mars Exploration
Curiosity has arrived at an area that may show evidence liquid water flowed on this part of Mars for much longer than previously thought. The rover team is searching for evidence that would confirm how the channel was carved into the underlying bedrock. It will take months to fully explore the channel, and what scientists learn could revise the timeline for the mountain’s formation.
After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends – NASA Mars Exploration
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has ended its mission at the Red Planet after surpassing expectations and making dozens more flights than planned. The smooth, relatively featureless terrain proved difficult for the helicopter’s navigation system to track during Flight 72, on Jan. 18, 2024, resulting in a rough landing. “The historic journey of Ingenuity, the first aircraft on another planet, has come to end,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Launch Roundup: Delta IV swan song, Angara test flight from Russia, and three Falcon 9 flights
Original Publication Date: 2024-04-08 21:32
The first of possibly two Angara flights in 2024 was scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, from Vostochny’s Site 1A. However, with a few minutes remaining in the count, the launch was scrubbed. Delta IV Heavy’s final flight with a mission for the National Reconnaissance Office on Tuesday, April 9 has now taken place. Starlink Group 6-48 flew in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, April 10, from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Another Falcon 9 with the USSF-62/WSF-M1 mission is scheduled for Thursday, April 11, from Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California.