MELBOURNE, Fla. — L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has received contracts totaling $137 million for four navigation payload Mission Data Units (MDU) for future GPS III Follow-on (GPS IIIF) satellites.

Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for GPS III/IIIF, selected L3Harris in 2018 to design and build the first two fully-digital MDUs, the heart of the satellite’s navigation payload. The MDU generates more powerful GPS signals and assures clock operations for GPS users.

WASSERBILLIG, Luxembourg (OQ Technology PR) –OQ Technology, a Dubai/Luxembourg-based satellite 5G IoT start-up, has signed a partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), home to the UAE National Space Programme.

OQ Technology aims to revolutionise the satellite telecommunication industry using 5G innovative solutions to enhance connectivity, scalability, and accessibility.

WASSERBILLIG, Luxembourg (OQ Technology PR) –OQ Technology, a front-runner in the satellite 5G Internet-of-Things (IoT) connectivity business, has signed a 2 million Euro contract with the European Space Agency as part of the Luxembourg National Space program (“LuxIMPULSE”) for the in-orbit pathfinder mission (MACSAT). The contract aims to foster Luxembourg and European space partnerships and involves the development of a 6U Nanosatellite, an advanced flight payload and user terminals, and their software stack.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Monday marked the second anniversary of Virgin Galactic’s most recent flight above 50 miles, the altitude the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) judges to be the boundary of space.

In the days leading up to the anniversary, I kept thinking Virgin Galactic will announce something on Monday. Some bit of news to distract people from 24 months without a spaceflight. Something to show forward progress ahead of what is likely to be yet another quarterly earnings call on Thursday soaked in red ink.

KOROLYOV, Russia (Roscosmos PR) — In the Rocket and Space Corporation Energia named after S.P. Korolev (part of the State Corporation “Roscosmos”), acoustic tests of the lander of the automatic interplanetary station “Luna-25”, created within the framework of the “Luna-Glob” project, were carried out for the study and practical use of the natural satellite of the Earth and the lunar space. The tests were carried out by order of the S.A. Lavochkin (part of Roscosmos), the developer of this spacecraft.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Redwire PR) — The Industrial Crystallization Facility (ICF) is a commercial in-space manufacturing device designed to provide proof-of-principle for diffusion-based crystallization methods to produce high-quality optical crystals in microgravity relevant for terrestrial use. ICF was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on Northrop Grumman’s CRS-15 on February 20. 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. February 23, 2021 (Redwire PR) – Redwire, a new leader in mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy, announced today that it has acquired Deployable Space Systems, Inc. (DSS), a leading supplier of mission-enabling deployable solar arrays, structures and mechanisms for space applications. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“DSS has an unmatched reputation for innovative deployable space technologies and infrastructure, and that is a perfect fit for Redwire’s technology portfolio,” said Peter Cannito, Chairman and CEO of Redwire. “These new capabilities will expand our set of space infrastructure solutions and deliver even greater value to our customers.”

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — NASA will highlight the second crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station with a pair of news conferences beginning 12:30 p.m. EST Monday, March 1. The briefings, which will take place at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. The full astronaut crew flying on the mission also will be available for interviews.

By David Dezell Turner
Southwest Research Institute

BOULDER, Colo. — On Feb. 22, 1906, German astrophotographer Max Wolf helped reshape our understanding of the solar system. Again.

Born in 1863, Wolf had a habit of dramatically altering the astronomy landscape. Something of a prodigy, he discovered his first comet at only 21 years old. Then in 1890, he boldly declared that he planned to use wide-field photography in his quest to discover new asteroids, which would make him the first to do so. Two years later, Wolf had found 18 new asteroids. He later became the first person to use the “stereo comparator,” a View-Master-like device that showed two photographs of the sky at once so that moving asteroids appeared to pop out from the starry background.

Two Stony Brook professors involved in the Perseverance nission weigh In

STONY BROOK, NY, February 22, 2021 (Stony Brook University PR) — The new era of space exploration features two Stony Brook University faculty members as part of the development of NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover that recently landed. Distinguished Professor Scott McLennan and Associate Professor Joel Hurowitz both worked on the PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) that is attached to the arm of the rover.

The PIXL is a micro-focus X-ray fluorescence instrument that rapidly measures elemental chemistry by focusing an X-ray beam to a tiny spot on the target rock or soil, analyzing the induced X-ray fluorescence. Both professors have been working on Mars missions with NASA since 2004.

TOKYO (Space BD PR) — Space BD Inc., the leading Japanese space startup providing access to space, announced that it would provide satellite deployment service from the International Space Station to ArkEdge Space for their satellite “NSPO-01.” NSPO-01 is an earth observation satellite developed by ArkEdge Space, the National Space Organization (NSPO) of Taiwan, and the University of Tokyo. It is the first mission for Space BD to work with NSPO.

ArkEdge Space (former company name: Space Edge Lab) is founded in 2018 as a spinout of Nakasuka-Funase Laboratory at the University of Tokyo, the Department of Aerospace Engineering. This time, ArkEdge Space awarded the contract by NSPO as co-researcher with Nakasuka laboratory to develop, launch, insert in orbit, and lead the initial operations of a 6U smallsatellite (100.0×226.3×366.0mm).

MOSCOW (Roscosmos PR) — Roscosmos Supervisory Board approved the program of strategic transformations of space instrument-making enterprises and decided to form space instrument-making holding based on the Russian Space Systems company (RSS, part of Roscosmos). Being at the national economy level these decisions determine the future image of one of the most important components the Russian rocket and space industry and are aimed at maintaining and progressive development of the scientific, technological, production and innovative potential of space instrument-making enterprises.