Rachael Zisk
ISRO to Launch OneWeb Satellites This Year
OneWeb has found another launch provider: NewSpace India, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The two have inked a deal to start launching satellites later this year, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. Left in the lurch The LEO broadband constellation developer was launching with Roscosmos…until March. Since…
NASA Awards Communication Services Project Contracts
NASA has awarded six contracts to LEO broadband operators to support the development and demonstration of near-Earth communications technology. The contracts have a combined total value of $278.5M, with each company expected to “match or exceed” NASA’s investment over the next five years. The awardees: SpaceX, receiving $69.95M to develop Starlink, its LEO broadband constellation.…
National Academies Release 2022 Planetary Science Decadal Survey
Once every blue moon ten years, NASA tasks the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine with determining the highest-priority planetary science missions for the next decade. The Academies published the fruits of their labor– “Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032”—yesterday, revealing a new ranked menu of deep-space…
White House Bans US Direct-Ascent ASAT Weapons Testing
The White House is instituting a self-imposed ban on direct-ascent ASAT, or anti-satellite, tests, VP Kamala Harris announced yesterday on a visit to the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The administration is hoping that other nations will agree to adopt the same ban in an effort to reduce orbital debris creation (and protect national…
Kepler Demonstrates Intersatellite Data Relay
Kepler has successfully demonstrated the ability to communicate between satellites on orbit, the company’s CEO Mina Mitry announced (H/T SpaceNews). Two data-relay terminals aboard satellites launched in January have been sending data packets back and forth since four days after launch, per Mitry. Intersatellite links The elusive tech is a big opportunity for satellite operators…
ESA Withdraws from Roscosmos Lunar Missions
Putin declared that Russia is going to restart its own lunar program, develop a nuclear space tug, and field a new launch vehicle, Russian media reported. But ongoing sanctions on Russia warrant some healthy skepticism on the feasibility of these programs. The Russian leader made the announcement on Yuri’s Night, the 61st anniversary of Soviet…
Space Perspective Unveils Interior Tourism Capsule Design
The future of space tourism may look nothing like the sterile, utilitarian white rooms imagined in the sci-fi staples we grew up with. Instead, it could be comfortable, familiar, and focused on fostering human connection and empathy, according to Space Perspective cofounder, co-CEO and CTO Taber MacCallum. Space Perspective: The space-tourism-via-balloon startup aims to capture…
Loss of Antonov Planes may have GEO Shipping Impact
Ukrainian firm Antonov owns and operates the largest cargo aircraft in the world. A significant portion of the company’s fleet has been grounded or destroyed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leaving many GEO satellites to find other rides to the launch site. Heavy-lift aircraft: Antonov’s large cargo aircraft are some of the only planes in…
BryceTech Releases Report on the State of Space Startups
BryceTech has released its 2022 report on the state of space startups. 2021 saw record levels of investment and a record-breaking number of deals funneling into space tech. By the numbers: The startup space sector saw $9B in venture capital investment, an 82% increase YoY. There were 120 total VC deals, up 52% YoY. Overall,…
Space Frontier Foundation Releases DEI Toolkit
The Space Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group with a 35-year history in the aerospace industry, has released its first survey on the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in space. Why? The aerospace industry needs innovation to survive. “Innovation thrives when you bring diverse perspectives into a room together,” Ann Kapusta, Space Frontier Foundation’s…
Redwire Space Releases Q4 and Full-Year 2021 Financial Results
Redwire Space (NYSE:RDW), a space infrastructure conglomerate, released its FY2021 and Q4 financial results after the bell on Thursday. The sixth in the rush of space companies that de-SPAC’d in 2021, Redwire began trading on the NYSE in September. The company dabbled on a few key business updates, including its Nov. acquisition of 3D bioprinting…
News Roundup: Q1 2022
Space activity was up and to the right in the first three months of the calendar year. From now on, we’re going to be pulling together a quarterly roundup of the biggest news from the commercial, civil, and military space. January NASA started the year off with a bang by delivering JWST, the most powerful…
The UN Bans Mercury Satellite Propellants
In a victory for NGOs and activists who have been pushing for more environmental accountability in space, the UN has adopted a provision that will ban the use of mercury as a satellite propellant. The UN provision: On Saturday, the UN added satellite propulsion to a long list of banned use cases for mercury under…
