SILVER SPRING, Md. (NOAA PR) — Today NOAA released a report to Congress titled, “Cost-Benefit Analysis of NOAA Commercial Data Program Radio Occultation Data Purchase.” [View report (PDF)] The congressionally directed report assesses radio occultation (RO) data purchased in Delivery Order 2 (DO-2) under NOAA’s first indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts for operational commercial satellite weather data. The initial cost-benefit assessment showed that the DO-2 data were similar in […]

WALLOPS, Va. (NASA PR) — A fresh supply of 8,300 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 12:40 p.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 19, aboard a Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft, and is now traveling to the International Space Station.

The Cygnus spacecraft, which was launched on an Antares rocket, is scheduled to arrive at the space station around 4:35 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 21. NASA Television, the NASA app, and agency’s website will provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s approach and arrival beginning at 3 a.m.

WASHINGTON (Commerce Department PR) — On January 26, 2022, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released updated statistics on the U.S. space economy, building on the preliminary estimates published in December 2020. The revised figures show that, in 2019, the U.S. space economy accounted for $194.4 billion of real gross output, $125.9 billion of real GDP (translating to 0.6 percent of U.S. GDP), $42.4 billion of private industry […]

MOSCOW (Roscosmos PR) — It is planned to conduct a 3D printing experiment on the Russian segment of the International Space Station, dedicated to the development of additive technologies for the production of products from polymer materials in space conditions. To do this, in June 2022, a 3D printer will be brought to the ISS on the Progress MS-20 cargo ship.

SILVER SPRING, Md. (NOAA PR) — NOAA awarded a fourth Delivery Order under its existing Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for commercial radio occultation (RO) satellite weather data. The RO data consist of vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and related quantities for operational weather models and other applications.  

Two concurrent awards were made under this Delivery Order — one to GeoOptics for 500 profiles/day and another to Spire Global for 5,500 profiles/day — for a total of 6,000 RO profiles/day for 10 months beginning on March 16, 2022. 

WASHINGTON (NAA PR) — The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) is pleased to announce that Wally Funk has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 Katherine and Marjorie Stinson Trophy.

WESTMINSTER, Colo., February 14, 2022 (Advanced Space PR) — Advanced Space LLC., a leading space tech company, is pleased to announce a partnership with Mike Beavin, an accomplished executive in government relations in the aerospace industry. Crafting communications on “the Hill” and within the Administration takes particular expertise. With over twenty years of experience in space policy and advocating for the space industry in Washington, D.C., Mr. Beavin will apply his expertise to elevate the space exploration, technology development, and vast array of work of the Advanced Space team.

Mike Beavin serves as  the Principal of IKYR, LLC. He will be based in D.C. to manage Advanced Space legislative affairs and government relations. . His background with legislative and key policymakers  includes Congress, the White House, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Communications Commission.

Mission will be the first to future Artemis Operation Orbit

WESTMINSTER, Colo., Feb. 18, 2022 (Advanced Space PR) — Advanced Space LLC., a leading commercial space tech solutions company, had a successful test last week for CAPSTONE, a NASA-funded mission to the Moon. Advanced Space owns and operates the CAPSTONE mission, a trailblazing pathfinder for the Gateway. The Gateway, a lunar orbiting outpost, will support NASA’s Artemis missions that will establish a long-term human presence at the Moon. CAPSTONE is the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment. It will help reduce risk for future spacecraft by validating innovative technologies and verifying the dynamics of the Earth-Moon halo orbit where the Gateway will operate.

COCOA, Fla., February 16, 2022 (Vaya Space PR) — Vaya Space announced the successful launch of its hybrid rocket from Mojave, California on January 29^th, 2022 operating under an existing FAA waiver. The suborbital flight demonstrated its hybrid rocket design using 3D printed fuel grains created from recycled thermoplastics. This launch paves the way for rapid acceleration of Vaya Space’s go-to-market strategy as the Company scales for production, with its first commercial orbital launch planned for 2023.

McLean, Va., Feb. 17, 2022 (SpaceLink PR) – SpaceLink, a company that is building the communications superhighway for the growing space economy, announced it has named Axiom Space as its Implementation Partner for demonstration of its end-to-end communications relay service on the International Space Station. SpaceLink completed an agreement with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), manager of the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, last year, and signed its subcontract with Axiom last week, making Axiom the liaison to ensure that all interfaces and system requirements meet NASA standards.

• Departure comes four days before quarterly & full year earnings call
• Silicon Valley billIionaire took company public in October 2019 through merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC)
• Sold $100 million personal investment for $313 million
• Continues to own Virgin Galactic shares through Social Capital Hedosophia

TUSTIN, Calif., February 18, 2022 (Virgin Galactic PR) — Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (the “Company” or “Virgin Galactic”) announced today that, effective immediately, Chamath Palihapitiya will step down as chairman and as a member of its Board of Directors to focus on other public company board commitments. As part of the announcement, the Board appointed Director Evan Lovell as Interim Chairman until a new chair is in place.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 16, 2022 (Phase Four PR) — Phase Four, the creator of the radio-frequency thruster (RF Thruster) for satellite propulsion, announced today that it finalized a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to adapt the RF Thruster to operate on novel, low cost propellants. The effort includes the development of a prototype engine and vacuum chamber testing. The results of the prototyping effort will demonstrate the proof of concept of a novel plasma propulsion system for various mission applications.