NASA has awarded L3Harris Technologies a $765.5 million contract to developer the GeoXO Imager (GXI)  for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) weather satellite program. NASA served as the contracting authority for the program.

Also: UK Space Agency funds 18 projects, stc Group and Omnispace Sign MOU

Boeing and NASA say they are on track to launch the first crewed CST-100 Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) in mid to late April.

Also news about Airbus, Synspective, Insight Terra and Xplore

Embedded Ventures $100 Million Fund

Los Angeles-based Embedded Ventures has launched a $100 million fund to provide venture capital to commercial and national security companies, with a particular focus on the space sector.

There’s good news and bad news in the latest scientific assessment of Earth’s vital ozone layer, which helps to protect life on Earth by absorbing the Sun’s ultraviolet light.

One of Virginia’s fastest growing companies will support over 2,000 geographically dispersed users of the NESDIS Integrated Information Services II contract

VIENNA, Va. (Alpha Omega Integration PR) — Alpha Omega Integration has been selected by NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) to support the requirements of the Integrated Information Services, and ensure a cohesive, scalable, and cost-effective delivery of IT services. Our services will help NESDIS provide secure, timely access to global environmental data to promote and protect the nation’s security, environment, economy, and quality of life.

“Alpha Omega is honored to play a role in supporting NOAA’s mission which is rightfully prioritized at the top of our national agenda as demonstrated via the meaningful investments contained in the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act,” said Gautam Ijoor, Alpha Omega Integration’s President and CEO. “Our partnership with NESDIS via the NIIS program reflects Alpha Omega’s commitment to supporting climate science and having a profound, lasting impact on future generations. We are pleased to have started this important work after unexpected delays.”

SILVER SPRING, Md. (NOAA PR) — NOAA and CNES, the French space agency, are just two months away from the planned launch of Argos-4, an advanced satellite instrument that will track the movement of wildlife, particularly marine mammals and sea turtles, while also collecting critical environmental data around the world. 

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (NOAA PR) — Flight hardware for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 401 rocket slated to launch the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) has arrived in California. The rocket’s boattail and interstage adapter arrived at Vandenberg Space Force Base July 28 for processing ahead of launch. The payload fairings arrived Aug. 8.

GILBERT, Ariz. (NOAA PR) — On July 26, in a clean room at the Northrop Grumman facility in Gilbert, Arizona, NOAA’s JPSS-2 satellite let out several loud pops as each of the five panels of its solar array detached from the body of the satellite and then unfolded, stretching out to its full 30-foot length. Under each panel, an engineer clad in a bunny suit flashed a thumbs up as latches clicked into place. 

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.

SILVER SPRING, Md. (NOAA PR) — On behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA has selected two firms for the Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Spacecraft Phase A Study. These contracted firms will help meet the objectives of NOAA’s GeoXO Program.

The firms selected are Lockheed Martin Space of Littleton, Colorado, and Maxar Space LLC of Palo Alto, California. The total value of each of these ten-month firm-fixed-price contracts is approximately $5 million. The work will be performed at the contractors’ facilities.