Space

WASHINGTON — Astrobotic, a company developing landers and other lunar technologies, has secured NASA funding to fly a small rover on a future mission to test its ability to survive the lunar night. The Pittsburgh-based company announced Aug. 24 that it won NASA funding through the agency’s Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program to fly

TAMPA, Fla. — Californian startup Epsilon3 said Aug. 23 it is building a software platform to help Axiom Space manage plans to deploy commercial modules on the International Space Station in 2024. The software startup is developing a set of operations and procedure management workflow tools as part of a multi-year deal with Axiom, which

Asteroseismology allows scientists to explore stars with sound. It can help them figure out what a star is burning and even help pin down the age of stars! Hosted by: Hank Green SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It’s called SciShow Tangents. Check it out at http://www.scishowtangents.org ———- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon:

Aerospace study: ‘In crises and conflicts, commercial space actors risk getting caught in the middle of a tense and escalatory environment’ WASHINGTON — Experts have labeled the Ukraine conflict the first commercial space war due to the extensive use of private-sector satellites for imagery and for communications, with companies like SpaceX and Viasat becoming targets

Concepts for beaming solar energy from satellites to Earth via radio waves aim to revolutionize the market for clean and sustainable power. If successful, they would open up the colossal energy industry to the space sector while potentially helping connect around 700 million people estimated to be without access to electricity. But while space-based solar

TAMPA, Fla. — SpaceX has decided to use a mix of Falcon 9 and Starship rockets to launch the 30,000 satellites in its proposed second-generation Starlink broadband constellation. Launching some of the satellites with SpaceX’s “tested and dependable Falcon 9” will accelerate the constellation’s deployment to improve Starlink services. SpaceX director of satellite policy David

The Combined Force Space Component Command oversees U.S. and allied space operations, and coordinates space traffic management WASHINGTON — Space Force Maj. Gen. Douglas Schiess on Aug. 22 assumed command of U.S. Space Command’s Combined Force Space Component Command at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The CFSCC, with more than 700 personnel, oversees U.S. and

WASHINGTON — A proposed commercial space station has passed a key early NASA review, allowing it to move into the next phase of its design. Blue Origin and Sierra Space, the lead partners on the Orbital Reef station, said Aug. 22 that the station passed a system definition review (SDR) with NASA. The review is

For decades, open systems architectures and open standards have helped accelerate innovation to end users in aerospace and defense applications through the development of interfaces that are open, key, and well-defined. Today, space system designers and developers are truly embracing the SpaceVPX (VITA 78) standard, which leverages the OpenVPX (VITA 65.0) architecture through its slot

The hunt for dark matter is still on, and the candidates for it could be primordial black holes as massive as Earth, or axions, as tiny as the smallest subatomic particles in existence! Hosted by: Caitlin Hofmeister SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It’s called SciShow Tangents. Check it out at https://www.scishowtangents.org ———- Support SciShow by

The Air Force selected Altamira Technologies, Epsilon Systems Solutions, Modern Technology Solutions, Radiance Technologies and Xandar WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force selected five companies for a $4.8 billion multi-award contract to provide research, development and software services over 10 years in support of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. Altamira Technologies, Epsilon Systems

Lawmakers in the 2023 NDAA recommended that the Space Force and Space Development Agency use a “common launch integrator” to manage rideshares WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency, a defense organization building a mesh network of satellites in low Earth orbit, plans to start launching payloads this fall, and by 2024 as many as 176

An emerging trend toward consolidation of GEO and NGSO constellations by network operators reflects a shift in their thinking. Recent weeks and months have seen growing activity among satellite network operators keen to integrate the soon-to-be-available LEO-derived bandwidth with existing GEO services. The recent activity has ranged from shifts in strategy, encompassing new LEO services

WASHINGTON — NASA is requesting information from industry on its capabilities and interest in developing a spacecraft that would deorbit the International Space Station at the end of its life. NASA issued the request for information (RFI) late Aug. 19, asking companies to supply information about how they could develop a spacecraft that would be

WASHINGTON — NASA has selected 13 regions around the south pole of the moon that it is considering for the first crewed landing of the Artemis program later this decade. The 13 locations released by NASA Aug. 19 reach include multiple sites that could host landings by SpaceX’s Starship vehicle serving as the lunar lander

TAMPA, Fla. — Intelsat said Aug. 19 it has lost control of its Galaxy 15 satellite after it was likely hit by a geomagnetic storm. High space weather activity likely knocked out onboard electronics needed to communicate with the satellite, Intelsat said, and keep it locked in its geostationary orbit slot at 133 degrees West.

New rockets from ABL, Firefly and Relativity are ready to rumble Most of the enthusiasm about small launch vehicles has focused on the very smallest ones, those capable of placing a few hundred, and in some cases just a few dozen, kilograms into low Earth orbit. Some of them have been quite successful, like Rocket

WASHINGTON — NASA has selected four mission concepts for additional study in the latest round of an astrophysics program, but selected missions could face delays because of budget constraints. NASA announced Aug. 18 it selected two mission proposals for its next astrophysics Medium Explorer, or MIDEX, mission, and two others as missions of opportunity. The

WASHINGTON — The European Space Agency will seek funding this fall for a feasibility study of space-based solar power, the latest sign of support for a concept that still faces significant technical and financial challenges. Josef Aschbacher, ESA director general, tweeted Aug. 16 that he will ask member states at this November’s ministerial meeting to

TAMPA, Fla. — Sky Perfect JSAT said Aug. 18 it has picked SpaceX’s Starship rocket to launch its Superbird-9 satellite in 2024. The Japanese satellite operator said it signed a contract for a mission on the super-heavy-lift vehicle SpaceX is developing in Boca Chica, Texas, but offered no further details about the agreement. “SKY Perfect

WASHINGTON — Mynaric has hired an experienced executive from the optical communications and semiconductor industries as its new president, charged with overseeing production of its laser communications systems. Mynaric announced Aug. 18 that it named Mustafa Veziroglu as its new president. Veziroglu was previously chief operating officer for communications and sensing at SA Photonics and

WASHINGTON — NASA’s Space Launch System made its third trip to the launch pad Aug. 17, this time with the intent of lifting by early next month. The mobile launch platform carrying the SLS and its Orion spacecraft left the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center at approximately 10 p.m. Eastern Aug. 16,

The government can incentivize satellite developers by requiring all future satellites to incorporate hardware for space situational awareness and maneuverability.   The concept of rapid movement to keep an enemy off-balance is as old as war itself.  Known in military circles as “maneuver warfare,” this mode of fighting has occurred in every domain, from land to

When international regulators adopted deployment milestones in late 2019 to rein in a flood of proposed satellite constellations, they could not have foreseen the havoc a pandemic was about to wreak across the industry. COVID-19 jammed up satellite manufacturing supply chains, disrupted workforces and shook financial markets, piling on extra burdens and delays for satellite

SAN FRANCISCO – Ball Aerospace and Seagate Technology Holdings are working together to develop and test high-capacity commercial data processing and storage devices for spaceflight applications. The companies are conducting laboratory demonstrations to determine how Seagate storage devices can be integrated with Ball spaceflight avionics and software. “The hardware is equivalent to what we might

In this week’s news we discover that Tatooine has got nothing on HD 131399Ab’s wide orbit, and there’s a some really cool jets coming out of a supermassive black hole. Hosted by: Hank Green ———- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ———- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters — we

Orion Space will work with several partners, including Hera Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton and Scout Space WASHINGTON — Orion Space Solutions announced Aug. 16 it was selected by the U.S. Space Force to develop three small satellites for a demonstration of on-orbit services in geostationary Earth orbit. The $44.5 million contract is for the Tetra-5

WASHINGTON — Astrobotic Technology, a lunar lander developer, has made a formal bid for “substantially all” of the assets of Masten Space Systems, another lander company that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month. In a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Delaware Aug. 14, Masten said it received a “stalking horse” bid of

Responsive space is a concept that the United States continues to pursue but has not yet achieved. As Russia and China continue to proliferate anti-satellite technology, and space increasingly becomes a warfighting domain, the ability to rapidly reconstitute our presence in space is emerging as a national security imperative. Numerous efforts in search of a

TAMPA, Fla. — Space logistics company D-Orbit said Aug. 12 it has canceled plans to go public by merging with Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The Italian company had hoped to raise $185 million from the deal to expand staff and accelerate investments in ION Satellite Carrier, its orbital transfer

Once-in-a-generation advances in commercial technology will fundamentally strengthen the U.S. economic and security posture in space Policy makers are right to expect the national security establishment to find ways to fully leverage the innovations and investment in commercial space capabilities like launch and imagery.   But far less obvious and yet more profound is a very

WASHINGTON — Virgin Orbit now expects to perform four launches this year, at the low end of earlier projections, but with a higher per-launch revenue. The company, in its second quarter earnings release Aug. 12, reported no revenue in the quarter and a net loss of $33.3 million. The company, though, said it recorded more

LOGAN, Utah — An inquiry into updating rules around space debris and emerging on-orbit services seeks to position the U.S. as a leader in an emerging space economy. The Federal Communications Commission voted Aug. 5 to explore the economic potential and policy questions relating to in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing capabilities (ISAM). “We believe the

The Pentagon approved the transfer last year in an effort to consolidate space programs under the new military branch WASHINGTON — Satellite ground stations that for decades have been operated by the U.S. Army will be officially handed over to the Space Force on Aug. 15. The Space Force will take over control of the

WASHINGTON — NASA and the U.S. Space Force have resolved an issue with the flight termination system on the Space Launch System that could have cut short the vehicle’s inaugural launch campaign. In an update late Aug. 12, NASA said it worked with Space Launch Delta 45, the Space Force unit that operates the Eastern

There are a lot of ways to get around in space, from using plain old sunlight to making super-hot plasma. We’ve talked about a lot of propulsion methods over the years, and now, it’s time for some highlights! Hosted by: Hank Green SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It’s called SciShow Tangents. Check it out at

LOGAN, Utah – Spaceflight safety startup Kayhan Space is broadening its product line to address collision threats for launch vehicles and satellites with or without propulsion. As traffic increases in popular orbits, Kayhan is updating its Pathfinder platform, which provides conjunction assessment and autonomous collision avoidance services. More than a dozen customers have signed up

TAMPA, Fla. — Intelsat said Aug. 11 it has signed a global distribution deal with OneWeb to provide multi-orbit inflight connectivity solutions for airlines. The agreement enables Intelsat, which currently uses satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) to connect airline passengers, to also provide low Earth orbit (LEO) solutions once OneWeb deploys the last third of

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris said Aug. 12 that the National Space Council will work to revise commercial space regulations that have become “simply outdated” as the industry evolves. Harris, in a brief speech at a science center in Oakland, California, said a “new rules framework” for commercial space activities will be discussed at

Army officials said space and cyber technologies should be used in support of special operations and information warfare HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army’s land forces for decades have relied on satellites for communications, navigation and early warning of missile attack. But the Army now wants to figure out other ways to use space technologies

LOGAN, Utah — In-space transportation company Momentus plans to reduce spending to conserve cash while moving ahead with its next series of tug missions. Momentus announced Aug. 11 that its next mission, called Vigoride-5, remains on schedule for a launch on the SpaceX Transporter-6 rideshare mission in November as the company implements fixes in the