Jacqueline Feldscher
NRO Awards Six Hyperspectral Imaging Contracts
The National Reconnaissance Office on Wednesday awarded six companies study contracts for commercial hyperspectral imaging, which can detect changes in satellite images that would be invisible to the human eye. “We are operating the largest, most diverse, most capable overhead constellation in NRO’s history as we face increasingly complex threats in space and on the…
A Q&A with Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
Figuring out how the US remains a leader in low Earth orbit after the ISS plummets into the ocean should be a top priority for Congress in 2023, according to outgoing Science, Space and Technology Committee chair Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX.) There are no follow-on plans for a government-run space station in low Earth…
Cognitive Space Wins Two DoD Contracts
Cognitive Space inked a pair of contracts with the Pentagon on Tuesday to automate and improve how quickly information can be shared in space. A first The SBIR Phase I contract with the Space Development Agency is the company’s “first engagement” with the Space Force office focused on quick development cycles and proliferated constellations, Cognitive…
Election Day 2022: What We’re Watching
Happy Election Day to US readers. Hope you all are already sporting your “I voted” stickers. While we won’t know results for hours (or even days), these are the close races among space committee members that we’ll be watching as results roll in (with predictions c/o FiveThirtyEight and Cook Political Report): On the other side…
Trade Groups; Industry Look Ahead to Space Council Sessions
Trade groups are urging the White House to use a “light touch” to regulate new orbital sectors, ahead of companies making their own appeals later this month. Mike French, VP for space systems at the Aerospace Industries Association, said AIA is working with members to help shape the process by which industry receives authorization for…
Some Key Space Advocates Are Leaving Congress in 2023
The looming departure of national security space champions from Capitol Hill is expected to leave a vacuum as the Space Force approaches its third birthday, but experts say more junior members are waiting in the wings for their shot to drive military space policy. One of the community’s biggest losses is Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN),…
Firefly Prepares for Production Ramp; Names Permanent COO
Firefly made history when it became one of only a handful of privately funded players to reach orbit a month ago. Now, the self-described “end-to-end space transportation company” is staffing up to scale production and ensure that October’s successful Alpha launch isn’t a one off. “What we have to do now…is take Alpha to full-rate…
Pentagon Emphasizes the Need for Norms
The Pentagon’s long-awaited National Defense Strategy warns that conflict in space could quickly spiral out of control without a clear set of norms and expectations. Released Thursday, the strategy breaks out space concerns primarily into three buckets: Dangers of escalation The risk of accidentally escalating a conflict in space is “particularly high due to unclear…
Boeing Reports Q3 Results
Boeing ($BA) reported a $3.3B loss in the third quarter on Wednesday, which included significant hits to its space and defense business segment. The losses to fixed-price programs, including the Starliner capsule built for NASA’s Commercial Crew program, were partially offset by more commercial airplane sales. By the numbers: 3Q revenue = $16B, up 4%…
DoD’s Indo-Pacific Command Adds Space Component
The US military command focused on deterring China will beef up its space footprint next month, the Space Force’s #2 officer, Gen. David “DT” Thompson, said Tuesday. The US Indo-Pacific Command will establish a Space Force component command on Nov. 22, said Thompson, who is the service’s vice chief of space operations, at a Mitchell…
CONFERS Highlights: Policy, Transparency, and Future Plans
Government officials and industry gathered just outside DC last week at the CONFERS Global Satellite Servicing Forum to brainstorm solutions for challenges facing the satellite servicing industry. CONFERS = the Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations, an industry group with 60+ members that started in 2017. Here’s a dispatch from the two-day conference…
Lockheed Martin Holds “Destination: Space 2050” Event in DC
Advanced tech can only do as much as the policies that regulate it allow, Lockheed Martin’s space chief said Thursday at an event to sell Washington officials on the moon habitats, in-space manufacturing, and smart cities that the company predicts will be commonplace by 2050. “The goal really is to start a dialogue and think…
Launcher Announces Successful E-2 Engine Test
Launcher added a new accolade to its resume this week: a successful test of the highest-performing kerosene rocket engine turbopump ever made in the USA. The two-minute test, which you can see for yourself on Youtube, happened last month at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The results, which met or exceeded all goals over the course…
