Rachael Zisk
Inmarsat Releases Survey on the Value of Space
Houston, we have an image problem. Yesterday, Inmarsat released a massive report on the public perception of the space industry. The survey of 20,000 people across 11 countries showed, by and large, a lack of faith in the space industry to solve problems down on Earth or to benefit humanity. The spectacle of it all:…
Recapping the First Six Months of 2022 in Space
We’ve made it halfway through 2022. The year has flown by, but it’s been filled with big news and firsts for the space industry. Here’s our recap of the off-Earth goings-on during these last six months. Q1 The year started off with a bang as JWST unfolded successfully, reached its new home a million miles…
USSF Establishes National Space Intelligence Center
There’s a new intelligence unit in town. On Friday, the US Space Force announced the establishment of Space Delta 18 and the National Space Intelligence Center, which will begin supplying US lawmakers with intelligence about the space domain. Space Delta 18, so named because USSF is the 18th US entity to join the intelligence community,…
NASA Prepares for CAPSTONE
On Monday, NASA and Rocket Lab are set to launch a pathfinding mission that will probe out a peculiar orbit around the moon that could be used for the Gateway lunar station in a few more years. CAPSTONE, as the mission is known, stands for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment. The…
UK Releases Space Sustainability Plan
The UK government released a plan for space sustainability at the 4th Summit for Space Sustainability in London today. UK Science Minister George Freeman said that the country is angling to make the UK a hub for space investment and drive commercial space sector growth. “A ‘Wild West’ space race without effective regulation risks a…
Geek Out: Space Volcano
Not everything that ends up in space from the Earth’s surface is traveling on a rocket. In January, the island volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted, causing shockwaves across the Pacific… …and in the ionosphere, the region of space between 80-1000km above the Earth’s surface. Up there, Earth’s weather mixes together with that of space. Space…
Astrobotic Tests Lunar Wireless Charging System
If your phone dies on the Moon, Astrobotic has you covered. Yesterday, the Pittsburgh-based company announced it has completed testing on a wireless charging system that can prep a variety of lunar surface infrastructure for the two-week lunar night. The lunar colony: Big plans are in the works for a lunar and cislunar economy in…
Sierra Space Announces Astronaut Training Program
Sierra Space announced on Tuesday that it will begin its own astronaut training program, led by Janet Kavandi, the company’s president and a retired NASA astronaut. As Sierra edges closer to the debut flight of Dream Chaser and, later on, the buildout of Orbital Reef, it’s thinking in advance about future LEO staffing needs. Dream…
Northrop Grumman and Partners Demo Laser Communications for SDA
Northrop Grumman ($NOC) has completed a ground demonstration of a laser communication system that will be used in its constellation for the Space Development Agency’s mesh, space-based security network. The defense prime also revealed that Mynaric ($MYNA) and Innoflight are providing the optical inter-satellite links and security systems, respectively, to support the satellite network’s secure…
SFL Performs Passive Deorbiting with Drag Sails
Yesterday, the Toronto-based Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) announced that it has achieved a major milestone in debris removal: successfully deorbiting a spacecraft without the use of propulsion. The 24-year-old laboratory used a drag sail to deorbit a nanosatellite within five years from a ~688km altitude, ~178 years more quickly than it would have without the…
FAA Releases Starship Environmental Assessment Finding of No Significant Impact
After a long and arduous review process, the FAA has finally released its environmental assessment of SpaceX’s Starship/Super Heavy launch site in Boca Chica. The agency found that the site would have no significant impact on the local environment—and that SpaceX is essentially cleared to proceed, but with some caveats. SpaceX will need to take…
NASA Delays Psyche Mission
NASA has delayed its Psyche mission, which was previously meant to launch on a Falcon Heavy in early August to begin its journey to study the eponymous asteroid. Another NASA mission, Janus, is hitching a ride on Psyche’s rocket, but the launch delay poses a problem—the two Janus probes may not be able to meet…
NASA OIG Releases Second Mobile Launcher Report
The NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) published its report on the agency’s management of a second mobile launch tower for the SLS mega-moon rocket—and the forecast isn’t looking good. Right now, the OIG anticipates that the project will cost more than twice what was originally budgeted and will be completed ~2.5 years behind schedule.…
