NASA Mission Update NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have commissioned an independent review to examine project and institutional issues that led to the Psyche mission missing its planned 2022 launch opportunity, and to review the mission’s path forward. The 15-member review board will be chaired by retired NASA official Tom Young and is slated to begin work on July 19. The review will study factors of workforce […]

Constellation will accelerate national defense capabilities against hypersonic and advanced missile threats

REDONDO BEACH, Calif., July 18, 2022 (Northrop Grumman PR) – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has won a competition to build and deploy a proliferated low-Earth orbit constellation of 14 satellites with infrared sensors for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 1 Tracking Layer (T1TRK).T1TRK will detect, identify and track hypersonic weapons and other advanced missiles from their earliest stages of launch through interception.

EDINBURGH, UK, July 18, 2022 (Prestwick Spaceport PR) — Representatives from Prestwick Spaceport are set to meet with stakeholders from across the global space industry, commerce, academia and government at this week’s Farnborough International Airshow, to accelerate plans to become Europe’s premier space launch location. Prestwick Spaceport will have a major presence alongside partners with Space Scotland as part of a dedicated Space Zone at the world’s biggest airshow at Farnborough 18-22 July.

The United Arab Emirates has established an $820 million (AED3 billion) fund to boost the nation’s space sector, with initial plans to produce a constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites named Sirb to image Earth. Arabian Business reports: The new investment and development fund will support local and international companies who are playing a part in the country’s space engineering, sciences, and research applications – which already saw previous ambitious […]

GREENBELT, Md. (NASA PR) — Searching the universe for Earth-like planets is like looking for a needle in a haystack. To further this exploration, NASA is supporting the early-stage study of a concept for a hybrid observatory that would combine a ground-based telescope with a space-based starshade. These devices block glare from stars when observing planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets, from the ground. The Hybrid Observatory for Earth-like Exoplanets (HOEE) would convert the largest ground telescopes into the most powerful planet finders ever made – and the public has an opportunity to be part of this groundbreaking endeavor.

EXPLORA I, Explora Journeys’ first ship, will benefit from SES’s world-leading connectivity service that aligns with Explora Journeys’ long-held ambition to redefine luxury ocean travel

LUXEMBOURG (SES PR) — SES, the world’s leading content connectivity satellite service provider, today announced that it will be providing global connectivity services to Explora Journeys, debuting on EXPLORA I. Guests and crew will benefit from SES’s best-in-class low latency, highest available throughput and global Cruise mPOWERED connectivity service.

Former Australian Government Innovation Leader to add regional expertise as the company continues to expand its presence in AsiaPac

VIENNA, Va. (Spire Global, Inc. PR) — Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) (“Spire” or the “Company”), a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, today announced that it has appointed Elizabeth Wylie, Ph.D, as Head of Business Development, for Australia and New Zealand. Based in Canberra, Australia, Wylie reports to Kamal Arafeh, Senior Vice President of Global Sales.

Orion’s Chip Scale Atomic Clock provides critical positioning and tracking data for the CAPSTONE Moon Mission

LOUISVILLE, Colo. (Orion Space Solutions PR) — NASA launched its Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) on June 28, as a part of the Artemis program, to study a specific orbit for the future Gateway lunar station. Led by Advanced Space, this mission is test driving orbital analysis that will enable NASA’s future exploration efforts. Orion Space Solutions (OSS) provides a critical satellite component that will support mission success.

This week on The Space Show with Dr. David Livingston: Tuesday, July 19 — 7 PM PDT (9 PM CDT; 10 PM EDT): Guests: Dr. Daniel Tompkins Bioplastic machines to grow greenhouses in space. Self-replicating living structures Wednesday, July 20 — 10 PM PDT (12 AM CDT; 1 AM EDT): Hotel Mars with Harold C. Connolly Jr. Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. David Livingston, Dr. Harold C. Connolly Jr. Is Bennu a rubble pile? Thursday, July 21 […]

WASHINGTON (State Department PR) — The United States welcomes Saudi Arabi’s signing of the Artemis Accords on July 14, affirming its commitment to safe, sustainable, and responsible space exploration.  Mohammed Saud al-Tamimi, CEO of the Saudi Space Commission, signed the Accords on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and was joined during a virtual ceremony by Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, […]

CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla., July 17, 2022 — On Sunday, July 17 at 10:20 a.m. ET, SpaceX launched 53 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It was SpaceX’s 31st successful launch of 2022, which ties a company record set last year. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said the company is aiming to launch 60 times this year. Jonathan’s […]

PARIS (ESA PR) — An ESA-financed nanosatellite, which lifted off aboard the inaugural flight of Vega-C, will operate an AI system in the harsh, radiation-wracked environment of the Van Allen Belts. The shoebox-sized Trisat-R – one of six ‘CubeSats’ on the flight, headed up to a rarely-trafficked, close to 6000 km altitude orbit – is also carrying radiation-detection payloads from CERN, the European Council for Nuclear Research, Slovenian firm SkyLabs and ESA itself.