Sidus Space’s LizzieSat™ arrives at California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base ready for launch – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-02-05 00:00
Sidus Space’s LizzieSat™-3′ arrival at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to begin spacecraft integration. The hybrid 3D printed satellite will be part of the Transporter-13 rideshare mission with SpaceX. LizzieSat-3 features an AIS sensor, a high-resolution visual spectrum sensor and the HEO Holmes Imager, which powers HEO Inspect.
Rocket Lab signs multi-launch contract with iQPS for four Electron missions – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-02-05 00:00
IQPS has signed a multi-launch contract with Rocket Lab. The contract includes three dedicated missions for launch in 2025 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. Each mission will carry a single satellite to form part of iQPS’ planned constellation of 36 synthetic aperture radar ( SAR ) satellites. All iQPS satellites will use a Rocket Lab Motorized Lightband as its separation system for deployment to space.
PointCast debuts a self-pointing, future-ready VSAT system – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-02-04 00:00
PointCast is a motorized VSAT system that combines automation, affordability, and reliability. Self-pointing and calibration technology to simplify installation, minimize maintenance, and maximise performance. Unlike traditional VSAT systems that can cost up to $1,000 to install, PointCast’s affordability and simplicity make it a mass-market solution for satellite connectivity.
SpaceX sends Maxar 3’s mission Worldview Legion 5 & 6 soaring through Florida fog – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-02-04 00:00
SpaceX is targeting Monday, February 3 for launch of the Maxar 3 mission to orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available on Tuesday, February 4 with a 60-minute window opening at 6:07 p.m. ET. This will be the fourth flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched GOES-U and two Starlink missions.
En Route to Jupiter, NASA’s Europa Clipper Captures Images of Stars
Europa Clipper carries nine science instruments, plus the telecommunications equipment that will be used for a gravity science investigation. The spacecraft already is 53 million miles (85 million kilometers) from Earth, zipping along at 17 miles per second (27 kilometers per second) relative to the Sun. On March 1, engineers will steer the craft in a loop around the Red Planet, using its gravity to gain speed.
NASA’s InSight Finds Marsquakes From Meteoroids Go Deeper Than Expected
Original Publication Date: 2025-02-03 11:38
InSight set the first seismometer on Mars, detecting more than 1,300 marsquakes. The impact crater is 71 feet (21.5 meters) in diameter and much farther from InSight than scientists expected. The Martian crust has unique properties thought to dampen seismic waves produced by impacts.
Straight Shot: Hubble Investigates Galaxy with Nine Rings
Original Publication Date: 2025-02-04 10:00
LEDA 1313424 is two and a half times the size of our Milky Way and has nine rings — six more than any other known galaxy. High-resolution imagery from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope confirmed eight rings, and data from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii confirmed a ninth. Hubble and Keck’s follow-up observations also helped the researchers prove which galaxy plunged through the center of the Bullseye.