Multi-Mode propulsion enables new mission capabilities
 for the commercial in-space mobility market

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (Phase Four PR) — Phase Four, the creator of the radio-frequency thruster (RF Thruster) for satellite propulsion, announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Impulse Space, a Space 2.0 pioneer providing agile, economical last-mile space payload delivery capabilities. The companies seek to explore and collaborate on opportunities to develop and market multi-mode propulsion capabilities that may be employed by future commercial space vehicles. The companies will evaluate the performance of Phase Four’s propellant-agnostic RF Thruster on green propellants of interest.

PARIS (CNES PR) — TechTheMoon, the first incubator dedicated exclusively to the lunar economy created in 2021 by the Occitan incubator Nubbo and CNES, is launching a call for applications for its class of 2022. After a first year of existence, which saw the selection of 5 startups developing innovative and concrete technological solutions to support a sustainable human presence on the Moon, the incubator is now opening the doors of its selection to new project leaders. Applications must be submitted by August 26, 2022.

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), will release its first full-color images and spectroscopic data on July 12, 2022. As the largest and most complex observatory ever launched into space, Webb has been going through a six-month period of preparation before it can begin science work, calibrating its instruments to its space environment and aligning its mirrors. This careful process, not to mention years of new technology development and mission planning, has built up to the first images and data: a demonstration of Webb at its full power, ready to begin its science mission and unfold the infrared universe.

Leading global strategy consulting and market intelligence firm, Euroconsult, has warned that future satellite capacity for global communication and television services could become more restricted by the end of the decade.

Paris, Washington D.C., Montreal, Yokohama, Sydney, 7^th June (Euroconsult PR) – A new report has explored the current and future supply and use of the extended C-Band, the planned C-Band and the 7025-7075 Mhz Band for satellite services (available in full on the Euroconsult website). It has considered for each band the uplink and downlink frequencies, including the frequency bands 3400-3700 and 6425-6725 MHz (‘extended C-band’), 4500-4800 and 6725-7025 MHz (‘planned C-band’) and 7025-7075 MHz.

When he’s not threatening to nuke Bulgaria, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin does attend to his day job of overseeing Russia’s space program. MSN reports: In comments to Rossiya-24 on Saturday, Rogozin said, as reported by Russian state-owned news agency TASS, that Russia’s involvement with the ISS was fading into the background but the country would still cooperate until 2024, at least. “The ISS will work exactly as long as the […]

Dstl’s miniaturised space weather instrumentation suite will be aboard Virgin Orbit which is aiming to launch from Spaceport Cornwall later in 2022.

LONDON (Dstl PR) — The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s (Dstl) miniaturised space weather instrumentation suite will be one of the payloads aboard Virgin Orbit which is targeting the first UK satellite launch this summer from Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay. Virgin Orbit’s Launcher One rocket takes off horizontally, carried aloft by a modified Boeing 747 jet, named Cosmic Girl.

The Coordinated Ionospheric Reconstruction Cubesat Experiment (CIRCE) satellite mission comprises two 6U cube-satellites that will be launched into a near-polar low Earth orbit in a string-of-pearls configuration (targeting 555 kilometres altitude). Each 6U satellite bus measures 10cm by 20cm by 30cm (the size of a cereal box), and will fly almost identical instrument capability on both satellites. Dstl is partnering with the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) on the joint mission.

MCLEAN, Va. (Booz Allen Hamilton PR) — Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) announced today it was awarded the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Cybersecurity and Privacy Enterprise Solutions and Services (CyPrESS) contract—a hybrid indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) single award contract with a total potential value of $622.5 million—to provide a complete range of cybersecurity and privacy enterprise solutions and services for NASA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). For the first time, this contract brings together all aspects of cybersecurity across the NASA enterprise under one contract to include IT systems, operational technology systems, and mission systems. Work will support all NASA centers and facilities from May 31, 2022 through September 30, 2023, with four option periods running through September 2030.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Redwire PR) — Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW), a leader in space infrastructure for the next generation space economy, announced today that it has been contracted to deliver 42 high gain antennas for an undisclosed national security customer for a low-Earth orbit satellite constellation with significant follow-on potential. Scheduled to be delivered within the next 18 months, the antennas will enable beyond line-of-sight communications for the warfighter using a secured tactical network. Earlier this year, Redwire successfully delivered antennas for the initial phase of this constellation.

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Virgin Orbit PR) — Satellite launch company Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) announces today that a joint mission between the United Kingdom’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory and the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is expected to be lofted on the first space launch out of Spaceport Cornwall later this year.

The government agencies’ joint Coordinated Ionospheric Reconstruction CubeSat Experiment (CIRCE) is supported by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Test Program (STP), which is organized under the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC). CIRCE will utilize two 6U CubeSats flying in tandem formation to measure the ionosphere and radiation environment from multiple vantage points. The mission will support the two countries’ joint development of a wide range of civil and defense applications, including GPS, radar, communication systems, and sensing technology.

Contract will see MDA design and build antennas and control electronics for 42 low Earth orbit satellites

BRAMPTON, ON (MDA PR) — MDA Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a leading provider of advanced technology and services to the rapidly expanding global space industry, today announced it has been awarded a contract from Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) as part of the Space Development Agency (SDA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) program. 

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — NASA and SpaceX are standing down from this week’s Falcon 9 launch of the CRS-25 cargo mission to the International Space Station. Officials from NASA and SpaceX met today to discuss an issue identified over the weekend and the best path forward.

Video Caption: The life-changing journey of #NS21.