HOUSTON (NASA PR) — People say good things come to those who wait. NASA thinks 50 years is the right amount of time as it begins tapping into one of the last unopened, Apollo-era lunar samples to learn more about the Moon and prepare for a return to its surface.

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA will participate in the 2022 Commodity Classic conference, America’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused educational and agricultural experience.

Agency representatives will discuss information, tools, and resources, drawn from the NASA’s Earth observation satellites and science research. Farmers and others regularly make decisions about water management, planting, and market decisions based on NASA data delivered by partner agencies and organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

MELVILLE, NY, March 4, 2022 (Micross PR) – Micross Components, Inc. (“Micross”), a leading global provider of mission-critical microelectronic components and services for high-reliability aerospace, defense, space, medical, and industrial applications, is proud to announce our exclusive partnership with Apogee Semiconductor, a leader in Radiation-Hardened-by-Design semiconductors, created with the patented TalRad™ (Transistor-Adjusted-Layout for Radiation) process. Micross is now the global supplier of die and packaged devices utilizing Apogee Semiconductor technology. Micross and Apogee Semiconductor radiation hardened solutions offer system designers a more cost-effective approach to achieving their specific radiation and temperature performance requirements for extreme environments, from low earth orbits (LEO) to deep space and other high radiation applications, while also enabling SWaP (size, weight and power) optimization.

SAN FRANCISCO (Planet Labs PR) — Today we announced the general availability of the next generation of our PlanetScope Monitoring product, offering high quality, analysis-ready data to all existing PlanetScope customers. While previously offering four spectral bands, PlanetScope will now include eight spectral bands in addition to a series of enhancements, providing our customers with richer, cleaner, and more consistent data to empower deeper analysis of Earth’s changing conditions.

“Planet is focused on delivering the most timely and accurate data possible to our customers. We are excited about this release because we know it empowers customers to enhance their analyses and decision-making with robust, global-scale data. Our customers and partners will use the new features to power analytics and solutions across broad industries,” said Planet VP of Product Imagery Jim Thomason.

Bahrain has become the 17th nation to sign the Artemis Accords, a U.S.-created set of principles designed to guide the exploration of the moon, Mars and other extraterrestrial bodies. Bahrain News agency reports: The CEO of the National Space Science Agency (NSSA), Dr Mohamed Ebrahim Al Aseeri explained that joining the Artemis Accords will open the door to new opportunities for cooperation and investment in the field and will facilitate […]

by Andrew Griggs
Senior Director, Mission Management & Assurance
Astra Space

Note: Astra has not yet finalized the LV0008 investigation results with the FAA. The information in this blog post is preliminary until the investigation has been fully closed. 

On February 10, 2022, we launched Launch Vehicle 0008 (LV0008). This was our first launch with a deployable customer payload and our first time launching from Cape Canaveral. After a nominal first stage flight, an anomaly occurred during the stage separation process which resulted in the upper stage not reaching orbit and the end of the mission. We immediately initiated our investigation process to determine the root cause of the anomaly. Now, we can share more about what we’ve learned to date.

With the fate of Spaceport Camden up in the air in a Tuesday referendum, the Camden County Board of Commissioners took action on late Friday afternoon that could allow it to invalidate a vote against purchasing the land for the facility. Camden County Board of Commissioners appointed five members to the previously vacant Spaceport Camden Authority during a special meeting that started at 4:30 p.m. EST. The members include: County […]

• FY2021 revenue of AED 1.49 billion [USD 407.6 million], increased year-on-year driven by exceptional 4Q21 performance in which revenues grew 7.9% vs. prior year
• Adjusted EBITDA1 of AED 883.2 million [USD 240.5 million] generating a healthy EBITDA margin of 59.0%; Normalised Adjusted EBITDA of AED 898.5 million [USD 244.6 million], up 5.0% vs. prior year, delivering a margin of 60%
• Highest ever reported Net Income (profit attributable to the shareholders) of AED 256.2 million [USD 69.8 million]; Normalised Net Income of AED 297.3 million [USD 80.9 million], grew 47.4% vs. prior year, delivering a margin of 19.9% versus 13.5% in prior year
• Contracted revenues of over AED 7.3 billion [over USD 2 billion], up more than 35% year-on year
• Cash conversion of 97%1 and strong Discretionary Free Cash Flow1 of AED 659.2 million (USD 179.5 million), covering FY 2021 dividend by more than 1.7x
• Proposal to distribute a final dividend for the second half of 2021 of AED 192.8 million, bringing total dividend for FY2021 to AED 385.6 million
• Initiating 2022 revenue guidance range of AED 1.52 billion to AED 1.62 billion [USD 415 million to USD 440 million], with approximately 70% of 2022 projected revenues contracted and implying revenue growth of up to 8% in 2022
• Contracted revenues further boosted since year-end by a 5-year AED 909.5 million [USD 247.5 million] managed services mandate awarded to Yahsat by the UAE Government in February 2022

WASHINGTON (House Science Committee PR) — Today, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its report titled, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. The report details the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, biodiversity, and human communities on both a global and regional scale. It also reviews vulnerabilities and the limits of the natural world and humans to adapt to climate change. The IPCC is currently in its Sixth Assessment cycle, […]

WASHINGTON (Frank Lucas PR) — Today, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Representative Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) announced the introduction of H.R. 6845, the Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act, to support commercial remote sensing activities in the U.S. The bill renews an expired requirement for the Department of Commerce to send an annual report to Congress on the status of commercial remote sensing applications, regulations, and adjudications.

“Remote sensing has become a crucial tool allowing us to improve crop production, weather forecasting, and emergency responses to natural disasters,” Lucas said. “The technology is constantly evolving, and the commercial remote sensing industry is seeing tremendous growth. To effectively support and manage commercial remote sensing activities, Congress needs timely and comprehensive reports from the Department of Commerce so we can evaluate the state of the industry and how regulations are affecting its growth. I appreciate Representative Perlmutter’s support of this legislation, and I look forward to working with him to pass this into law.”

NEWCASTLE, UK, March 1, 2022 (Lockheed Martin PR) – Lockheed Martin, a global leader in space systems development, manufacturing and services, is looking for North East businesses and skills organisations to support its plans to develop a bold new future for the UK’s space sector. Senior executives from the company are in Newcastle today to explore options for its space business, which could potentially include manufacturing as well as research and development based in the North East.

Nik Smith, Lockheed Martin’s UK and Europe regional director for Space, says that with favourable market conditions and the government’s ambition to grow the sector, the company is exploring options for a new facility in the North East which could create up to 2,300 jobs. It would play a critical role in supporting the Government’s Levelling Up agenda and accelerate the UK’s National and Defence Space Strategies by increasing the space and security capabilities available to government, commercial customers, and the export market. Such a facility would represent an investment of over £50 million.