LUXEMBOURG (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology PR) — Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) has been recently selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop novel nontoxic and antimicrobial surface treatments for spacecraft interiors.
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 17, 2019 (NSR PR) — NSR’s Satellite Manufacturing and Launch Services, 9th Edition (SMLS9) report published today forecasts a $225 B market opportunity over the next decade, driven by Situational Awareness and Earth Observation markets.
Despite the hype created by smallsat LEO constellations, the traditional market is expected to remain the dominant source of revenue globally for building and launching satellites. While it is not likely to return to heady levels of yesterday, new opportunities are emerging that the industry can grasp if it adapts to a nimbler state of affairs.
WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — Water-fueled satellites, 3D medical scans and vibration resistant metal fasteners impressed judges at the NASA iTech competition this week in Mountain View, California. NASA iTech is an initiative to find and foster innovative solutions to challenges faced on Earth and in space.
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LONDON (UKSA PR) — The UK and US space agencies have signed a statement of intent, which paves the way for UK commercial satellite communication and navigation services to be used by future NASA missions to the Moon.
The agreement was announced in a speech from Science Minister Chris Skidmore at the Policy Exchange in London on ‘Embracing the New Space Age’ on 16 July, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch.
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CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. (ULA PR) — The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V551 rocket carrying the Lockheed Martin-built Advanced Extremely High Frequency 5 (AEHF-5) satellite for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center is delayed, due to an anomaly during component testing at a supplier which has created a cross-over concern.
Additional time is needed for the team to review the component anomaly and determine if any corrective action is required to the launch vehicle. Launch of the AEHF-5 mission is now targeted for no earlier than Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019.
AEHF satellites provide highly-secure, jam-proof connectivity between U.S. national leadership and deployed military forces. Atlas V rockets successfully launched the first four AEHF satellites in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2018.
The AEHF-5 launch will mark the 80th Atlas V mission since the inaugural launch in 2002 and the 10th in the 551 configuration. The rocket features a kerosene-fueled common core booster, five solid rocket boosters, the hydrogen-fueled Centaur upper stage and a five-meter-diameter payload fairing.
The ULA Delta IV rocket carrying the GPS III SV02 mission for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center is delayed, due to an anomaly during component testing at a supplier which has created a cross-over concern.
Upon further evaluation, additional time is needed to replace and retest the component on the launch vehicle. Launch of the GPS III SV02 mission is now targeted for no earlier than Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019.
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NASA intends to release Appendix K to the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) entitled “Appendix K: Commercial Destination Development in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Free Flyer.”
This appendix will request proposals from United States (U.S.) commercial entities to enter into a public-private partnership to develop and demonstrate commercial destination technologies and markets in LEO.
The primary objectives of Appendix K to the NextSTEP-2 BAA are (1) to successfully develop commercial markets through demonstration of products and services in LEO in habitable commercial destinations and (2) to provide a plan to establish a long-term, sustainable, commercial, human spaceflight enterprise in LEO where NASA is one of many customers.
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The test vehicle seemed to survive just fine. It looked worse than it was.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 17, 2019 (Momentus PR) — Momentus (http://www.momentus.space), a provider of in-space shuttle services that move satellites between orbits, today announced a $25.5mm series A investment round led by Prime Movers Lab and featuring investment from Y Combinator, the Lerner Family, the University of Wyoming Foundation, Quiet Capital, Mountain Nazca, ACE & Company, Liquid 2 Ventures, Drake Management, and others.
This round has brought the total investment amount for Momentus to $34MM. The investment will be used to continue development and in-space testing for Momentus’ Vigoride and Vigoride Extended in-space shuttles. The company also plans to accelerate hiring and expand research/manufacturing facilities at Momentus’ Santa Clara, CA headquarters.
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My appearance on The Space Show is now online.
David and I had a nice talk about Virgin Galactic’s plan to go public and whether the passenger and financial numbers they’re aiming for are very realistic. We also talked about NASA’s Artemis program and what the odds are of a landing on the moon in 2024. Charles Lurio called in to chat about that. Other space subjects also came up.
Luxembourg, 16 July 2019: Kleos Space S.A. (ASX: KSS, Frankfurt: KS1), (Kleos or Company), a space-powered Radio Frequency Reconnaissance data provider, has completed all acceptance reviews and the satellites are mission ready awaiting transport to RocketLab’s Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand.
The satellites in the Kleos’ Scouting Mission are now secured in their protective Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) boxes – designed to prevent damage to the hardware in the event of a discharge of static electricity. Sensitive devices are protected at all times during manufacture/assembly, transport, handling, and storage.
Kleos’ CTO Miles Ashcroft said “Our satellites have undergone and successfully passed the full test suite. They are formally technically accepted as mission ready. We await the ‘green light’ from our launch partners RocketLab to dispatch to Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand for flight preparation and integration onto the launch vehicle.”
The multi-satellite Scouting Mission system will form the foundation of a constellation that delivers a global picture of hidden maritime activity, enhancing the intelligence capability of government and commercial entities when AIS (Automatic Identification System) is defeated, imagery is unclear, or targets are out of patrol range. The first scouting mission is made up of four nano-satellites built by GomSpace in Denmark.
by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor
Fifty years ago today, three astronauts set off on the journey of a lifetime to make the first human landing on the moon. Twelve men would walk on the lunar surface, collect rocks and soil samples, and drive electric cars before the Apollo program ended in December 1972.
As the United States marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic first lunar landing on July 20, four of the 12 men who walked on the surface and eight others who flew around the moon are alive to celebrate it.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., July 16, 2019 (ISS National Laboratory PR) – The International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory is proud to announce that The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company will be sending a materials science investigation onboard SpaceX’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the space station.
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LONDON, July 16, 2019 (OneWeb PR) – OneWeb, whose mission is to enable internet access everywhere for everyone, is delighted to announce the successful test of its six satellites in Low Earth Orbit. All satellites delivered high-speed, low-latency services, with speed of more than 400 Mbps which enabled the fastest real-time video streaming in Full HD from Space. The tests, which took place in Seoul, South Korea, represent the most significant demonstration of the OneWeb constellation to date, proving its ability to provide superior broadband connectivity anywhere on the planet.
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Dynetics PR) — For forty-five years, Dynetics has distinguished itself as a premier aerospace and defense contractor in Rocket City, USA. In 2009, we first expanded our capabilities to the space sector, shocking the industry with the success of our Fast, Affordable, Scientific, SATellite (FASTSAT) small satellite. In just ten short years, Dynetics has built a reputation as a company that provides reliable, rapid, and efficient space solutions.
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BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan (July 13, 2019) — Proton-M carrier rocket with DM-03 booster and Spektr-RG unique space astrophysical observatory was successfully launched from launch pad N81 at Baikonur cosmodrome at 15:30 Moscow time. The launch and the flight of the rocket went flawlessly making it the second launch of the type in 2019.
According to the launch sequence, at 17:30 Moscow time the spacecraft separated from DM-03 booster designed by Energia company and the orbital observatory commenced its 100-day flight towards the L2 libration point of the Sun – Earth system, where it will be exploring the Universe in X-ray spectrum of electromagnetic emission.
The following operations are scheduled during the flight: support systems check, telescope adjustment, calibration and testing, test astrophysical observations. The observations are scheduled to be performed for 6.5 years with 4 years in scanning the sky of stars mode and 2.5 years in pinpoint observations of the objects in the Universe.
