Congress, industry criticize FAA launch licensing regulations
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-11 03:19
FAA's Part 450 is intended to streamline the licensing process for commercial launch and reentry. Many in the launch industry have warned since the regulations went into force in March 2021 that it was difficult for companies to obtain licenses. SpaceX was not represented at the hearing, but its issues with its launch vehicle came up during it.
OneWeb launches alternative navigation service amid GPS vulnerability concerns
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 22:26
Satellite communications company OneWeb unveiled a new positioning, navigation, and timing service. The service, called Astra, aims to ensure uninterrupted communications for OneWeb’s satellite broadband customers. The UK government has shown particular interest in this initiative as a potential alternative to the European Union’s Galileo navigation system.
U.S. military investing in reentry vehicles for space-to-Earth cargo delivery
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 19:31
Startups specializing in reentry vehicle technology have secured more than $100 million. Inversion Space, based in California, disclosed that its agreement is valued at $71 million. The military’s interest in reentry capsule technology is closely tied to the Air Force’s ambitious Rocket Cargo program.
Boeing plots 2026 quantum networking satellite demo
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 14:15
Boeing plans to deploy a small satellite in 2026 to test technology needed for a quantum internet. The microwave-sized Q4S satellite is being designed to demonstrate quantum entanglement. Entanglement is a communication technique that transfers information between particles. China is also working to develop a quantum communications satellite network.
In Slingshot, a mission to Titan goes off course
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 13:00
The new movie Slingshot features astronauts on a mission to Titan, Saturn’s exciting moon. Titan harbors an amazing landscape with a never-ending list of places to explore. It is the only location in the solar system outside of Earth that is known to have liquid on its surface.
Crew Dragon launches on Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 10:47
A SpaceX Crew Dragon is in orbit on a long-awaited private astronaut mission. The Crew Dragon separated from the Falcon 9 upper stage about 12 minutes after liftoff. The highlight of the mission will be on flight day three, or Sept. 12. The four-person crew will depressurize the Crew Dragon cabin.
SpaceX’s Success at last as Polaris Dawn soars to the highest orbit with humans since the Apollo 17 – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 00:00
SpaceX announced that on Tuesday, September 10 at 5:23 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched Polaris Dawn to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During their multi-day mission to orbit the passengers will attempt the first spacewalk of private astronauts, using spacesuit technology developed by SpaceX. They will also test laser-based communications with Starlink a satellite broadband provider.
SpaceX to launch Galileo L13, Europe’s alternative to American GPS – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 00:00
ESA’s Galileo planned constellation SpaceX is scheduled to launch Galileo L13 (FOC FM26 & FM32) to Medium Earth Orbit, on September 15th. The launch is of two satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation system. Galileo provides Europe with an alternative to the American GPS and Russian GLONASS constellations.
BAE Systems awarded million$ from DARPA for tactical autonomy program – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-11 00:00
AE Systems awarded $4 million contract for Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program. AIR program aims to advance dominant tactical autonomy for beyond visual range air combat missions. Autonomy solutions will be developed and demonstrated on F-16 testbeds. BAE Systems will use machine learning (ML) to innovate simulation models.
PlanetiQ awarded million$ NOAA Contract – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-11 00:00
PlanetiQ received a Delivery Order (DO-4) contract valued at more than $6.5 million to supply NOAA with their proprietary radio occultation (RO) data for a period of one year starting on September 18, 2024. Under the Radio Occultation Data Buy II (RODB-2) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, PlanetiQ will provide 2,200 GNSS-RO profiles per day.
SpaceX ready for Patriots’ Day Starlink satellite launch, wind may cause issues – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 00:00
SpaceX plans a launch on Wednesday, September 11, for a batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation from Space Launch 4-E, Vandenberg SFB, California into Low Earth Orbit. A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.
Direct-to-Cell market revenue to reach $2.8 billion globally over the next 5 years – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 00:00
Juniper Research predicts that the first year of commercial direct-to-cell services will be 2025; generating a modest $30 million in revenue globally. However, Juniper forecasts that operators will generate almost $1.7 billion by 2029. The study identified two key challenges in maximizing return on investment: The low cost of low-power IoT connections and the commoditization of connectivity.
Childhood Snow Days Transformed Linette Boisvert into a Sea Ice Scientist
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 15:10
Linette Boisvert is a sea ice scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. She studied how the changing sea ice conditions and loss of Arctic ice are affecting the atmospheric conditions in the Artic. Boisvert was the deputy project scientist for NASA’s largest and longest running airborne campaign, Operation IceBridge.
Voyager 1 Team Accomplishes Tricky Thruster Swap
NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have three sets, or branches, of thrusters. In 2002 the Voyager team noticed some fuel tubes in the attitude propulsion thruster branch being used for pointing were clogging. Switching to different thrusters would have been a relatively simple operation in 1980 or even 2002. But the spacecraft’s age has introduced new challenges, primarily related to power supply and temperature.