• Three times as many Canadians associate space with aliens (23%) than communications & connectivity (7%)
• Less than a third (28%) of Canadians want to know more about space
• Space industry needs “to create a new narrative about space and show Canadians how it benefits their lives everyday”

OTTAWA, Canada (Inmarsat PR) — Despite being engaged in the space industry since the 1950s, launching its first research rocket in 1959 and retaining a vibrant space industry, a new report reveals that Canadians today are more likely to associate space with aliens (23%) and Star Wars (12%) than they are with communications and connectivity (7%) or weather (6%).

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Powered by 33 flights of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster, the United States leads all nations with 48 launch attempts through the first seven months of the year. The total is three short of the number of U.S. launches attempted last year, and far ahead of the 27 launches conducted by second place China through the end of July. The U.S. has conducted more launches than the 43 flights conducted by the rest of the world combined.

A number of notable flights were conducted. SpaceX launched two Crew Dragons to the International Space Station (ISS), including the first fully privately funded mission to the orbiting laboratory. United Launch Alliance (ULA) launched Boeing’s CST-100 Starship crew vehicle on an automated flight test to ISS, a crucial step before astronauts to fly on the spacecraft. Small satellite launch provider Rocket Lab conducted its first deep-space mission by sending a spacecraft the size of a microwave to the moon.

ATLANTA (SpaceWorks PR) – SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. John Bradford as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective today.

Previously serving as the company’s Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Dr. Bradford now succeeds company Founder and outgoing CEO, Dr. John R. Olds. With over 25 years of experience in the aerospace sector, Bradford is a recognized thought leader in the space industry and brings a wealth of technical expertise and business acumen. 

WASHINGTON (NASA HQ PR) — NASA Television programming on the Galaxy 13 domestic satellite is moving from transponder 11 to transponder 15 this month.

The move is in line with the Federal Communications Commission’s initiative to free up C-band bandwidth on domestic satellites in support of future 5G terrestrial communications efforts. Currently, both transponders are active. Distribution of NASA TV programming on transponder 11 will end on Monday, Aug. 29. As part of that transition, the modulation format will be changed from DVB-S/QPSK to DVB-S2/8PSK, which reduces the transponder’s required bandwidth.

A combined DRS GES and SES Government Solutions positions the organization as a leader in building, managing and supporting the most advanced satellite network solutions for the US Government

RESTON, Va. (SES PR) — SES and its wholly-owned subsidiary SES Government Solutions (SES GS) today announced the completion of the acquisition of DRS Global Enterprise Solutions (GES) from Leonardo DRS for $450 million after obtaining all the necessary regulatory approvals. The DRS GES business will be combined with SES GS to create a scaled solutions provider serving the multi-orbit satellite communications needs of the US Government and supporting missions anywhere on land, at sea, or in the air.

This week on The Space Show with Dr. David Livingston: Tuesday, August 2 — 7 PM PDT (9 PM CDT; 10 PM EDT): Guests: Mark Whittington Mark’s op-eds & his perspectives on important space issues Wednesday, August 3 — 10 PM PDT (12 AM CDT; 1 AM EDT): Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. David Livingston Hotel Mars TBD Friday, August 5 — 9:30 PDT (11:30 AM CDT; 12:30 EDT): Guests: Tony Whitman, Darin Noel We talk JWST from […]

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

On Christmas Day 2021, an European Ariane 5 rocket roared off its launch pad in French Guiana with the most expensive payload the booster had ever carried, the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope. The launcher performed perfectly, sending the most powerful space telescope on a journey to its final destination 1.5 million km (900 million miles) from Earth. The launch was so accurate that Webb should have sufficient propellant to perform science operations for much longer than its planned 10-year lifetime.

There was a collective sigh of relief among the European, American and Canadian scientists and engineers involved in the long-delayed program. It was a superb Christmas gift to a world suffering through the second year of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

NASA Program Update

As NASA prepares for the first integrated flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft to the Moon this summer as part of Artemis, the agency is moving toward a services contract model for long-term SLS hardware production and operations to reduce costs.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

The 23-metric ton core stage of a Chinese Long March 5B rocket made a fiery Earth’s atmosphere over the Sulu Sea near the western Philippines on Saturday, creating a spectacular display that was witnessed by people across the region. There were no immediate reports of property damage or injuries from pieces that didn’t burn up in the atmosphere.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

The first seven months of the year were busy one for launches on the Korean Peninsula that saw a successful test of South Korea’s first domestically developed orbital launch vehicle and a pair of suborbital flights of two small satellite boosters. North Korea tested an imaging system for a reconnaissance satellite on a suborbital flight and launched a series of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

Funded by exclusive partner Estée Lauder, the winning projects will have the opportunity to conduct research on the International Space Station

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2022 (CASIS PR) – On July 28, 2022, the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory announced two winning concepts from its Sustainability Challenge: Beyond Plastics. The winning concepts will receive funding for their research proposals from the exclusive challenge partner, global prestige beauty brand Estée Lauder, and will have the opportunity to launch their research to the orbiting laboratory.

The challenge, put forth by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc., manager of the ISS National Lab, in partnership with Estée Lauder, sought project concepts to advance sustainability research on the space station that address the worldwide plastic waste dilemma. The selected projects were announced at the 11^th annual ISS Research and Development Conference in Washington, D.C.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

MOJAVE, Calif. — A former top employee at bankrupt Masten Space Systems has filed a lawsuit against the company and its former CEO, Sean Mahoney, alleging they denied him promotions and pay raises due to his race, and retaliated against him for exposing fraudulent billing on two federal contracts in 2020.

Reuben Garcia, who formerly served as director of technical operations/manager of landing systems before departing the company earlier this year, filed the lawsuit in Kern County Superior Court in November 2021. He is seeking attorney’s fees, punitive damages, and compensatory damages for “economic losses, humiliation and mental and emotional distress”. Garcia has requested a jury trial.