House rejects satellite spectrum licensing bill because of space safety provisions
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-26 00:15
The bill was intended to improve the licensing process for satellite systems at the FCC. It would have set time limits on the FCC’s review of satellite licenses and enabled expedited reviews. The House Energy and Commerce Committee favorably reported the bill on a unanimous vote in March. House Science Committee opposed the bill because of provisions regarding regulation of space debris.
Spire to devise GNSS-independent aircraft tracking satellites for ESA
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 21:47
A Spire Global-led group has won European Space Agency funds to develop a satellite. The satellite would not rely on GPS, or any other global navigation satellite system. Most commercial aircraft must have an Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) transmitter.
If you’re going to the south pole, go to the south pole
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 18:28
Rand Simberg, Michelle Hanlon: We should return to Tranquility Base first. Simberg, Hanlon: It would be a mistake to recreate something humans did decades ago. They say it would be an invitation to others to do the same, further endangering the site.
Space Force selects vendors for low Earth orbit satellite services
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 18:00
The U.S. Space Force announced July 24 it selected 16 companies that will compete for low Earth orbit satellite services contracts. Under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, vendors will compete for up to $900 million worth of task orders over the next five years. Each contractor is guaranteed $2,000.
NASA selects companies to advance lunar power and other technologies
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 15:59
NASA announces 11 awards through its Tipping Point program of space technology development. Astrobotic Technology, Zeno Power among winners of $150 million awards. The awards are designed to advance promising technologies to the point where they are ready for flight. Astrobotic is developing technologies for its LunaGrid project to produce solar power.
Space Force to further define details of a ‘commercial space reserve’
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 15:39
Space Force asks contractors to submit comments on Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve. CASR is initiative to establish agreements with companies to ensure services are prioritized. Initial thinking on CASR is to model it after the Air Force Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) program.
Varda waiting on FAA license to return space manufacturing capsule
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 10:42
Varda Space Industries launched its first spacecraft, called W-Series 1, on June 12. The mission was to test the ability to produce crystals in microgravity. Those crystals would be brought back to Earth in a reentry capsule. Varda is the first to seek a reentry license under new FAA regulations.
EUTELSAT 10B satellite enters service – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-26 00:00
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) has successfully entered into service the company’s multi-mission, high-capacity, EUTELSAT 10B satellite. Firm multi-year capacity commitments are secured with several leading maritime and in-flight connectivity service providers.
Smallsat market continues growth – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 00:00
The smallsat industry will accumulate around $110.5 billion in market value over the next decade, according to Euroconsult. Two constellations – Starlink (SpaceX) and GuoWang (China SatNet) – will collectively account for nearly two-thirds of the smallsats to be launched throughout the next decade. Long-term government agency contracts will continue to serve as a pivotal driver for this growth.
Teledyne FLIR Defense’s $94 Million IDIQ U.S. Army contract for Black Hornet® 3 nano-drones – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 00:00
Total Army investment in Black Hornet likely to exceed $225 million by 2028 Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), has won a five-year contract worth up to $93.9 million. Black Hornet drones are currently being used by Ukrainian forces through donations made by the British and Norwegian governments.
Advanced aircraft tracking will come live from space – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 00:00
Satellites will soon be used to keep an independent eye on airborne planes. Deal agreed between ESA and Spire Global, a company that provides space-based data, analytics and space services. Spire will design an advanced civilian aviation surveillance system that uses a constellation of satellites. The system, called “Eurialo,” will determine the exact position of a plane by geolocating its radio frequency signals.
ESA: Ariane 6 launch system tests are progressing well – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 00:00
Ariane 6 successfully completed a launcher preparation and countdown sequence on July 18th. At Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The last part of the test – a short ignition of the Vulcain 2.1 engine – had to be postponed to the next test session.
The UK’s NPL + RAL Space to deliver smallsat state-of-the-art facility – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 00:00
New facility will be designed, manufactured and tested at NPL’s Teddington site in south-west London. Facility is intended for use by smallsat providers at short notice to perform essential pre-flight calibration and characterization tasks for individual satellites. Calibration of sensors is essential in ensuring the usefulness of data collected by these missions.
ESA selects Thales Alenia Space for SOLARIS feasibility study – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-07-25 00:00
Thales Alenia Space has been selected by the European Space Agency to conduct a feasibility study for the SOLARIS initiative. The study will determine the viability of a project to provide clean energy from spaceborne solar power plants to meet requirements down on Earth. Europe is targeting net zero emissions from greenhouse gases by 2050.
Episode 11: Digging In: When Rovers Get Dirt on Mars
Apollo astronauts conducted the first deep-drilling operation on the Moon in 1971. The Apollo 15 mission’s Lunar Surface Drill was designed to carve out a core of rock up to 10 feet, or 3 meters down. The battery-powered drill worked well until astronauts Dave Scott and Jim Irwin tried to pull their rock core out.
Episode 9: Before You Can Drive, First You Have to Fly
JPL engineer honed entry, descent and landing procedure for NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers. The rover’s capsule has built up a lot of speed after its launch off Earth and many-months journey through outer space. Slowing that capsule down heats up the front of the vehicle, and of course, it heats up the atmosphere.
Episode 8: How to Drive a Mars Rover
Vandi Verma is the chief engineer of Mars Perseverance robotic operations. She's been driving rovers on Mars with Curiosity and now Perseverance. A Mars drive starts on Earth, with a team of scientists and engineers developing a list of actions they want the rover to take.
Episode 7: Flying with Ingenuity: the Mars Helicopter
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter flew into the skies of Mars in 2021. The helicopter was a technology demonstration meant to test whether it was possible to fly a rotorcraft on Mars. Ingenuity hitched a ride with NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, which sent the Perseverance rover to collect rock samples and look for evidence of ancient life.
Episode 6: The Promise of Perseverance
NASA's latest Mars rover, the Mars 2020 mission’s Perseverance, is a step toward realizing the Mars Sample Return goal of the past fifty years. Perseverance's job in that effort is to collect the rock and soil samples and to seal them up and keep them safely on the surface of Mars.
Episode 5: A Ton of Curiosity
The Mars rover Curiosity is a six-wheeled vehicle that weighs nearly a ton. The rover also has a kind of mouth, nose, throat, and stomach. These allow Curiosity to take Mars into itself, breathing in the air and eating the rocks and soil. Curiosity has chewed on the question of what the planet Mars is made of, conducting an elementary study of the alien environment.
Episode 4: A Lifetime on Mars: The Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity
This is the fourth episode of the “On a Mission’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s” “I’m Leslie Mullen, and we’re following the rovers on Mars’ surface. This episode is about the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which landed on Mars in 2004.