Rachael Zisk
CesiumAstro Speeds Up Gen-2 Nightingale Development
CesiumAstro, an Austin-based software communication system developer, has announced plans to accelerate production on the second generation of its active phased array product, Nightingale. The software-defined steerable array can attach to satellites to provide inter-satellite and ground connectivity and is optimized for lunar and cislunar applications. The acceleration was prompted by a Phase II NASA SBIR grant…
Space Tourism Speeds Up
Things are picking up in space tourism. Over the weekend, a record-breaking 19 people were in space at once during Blue Origin’s six-passenger tourist flight. And it’s only going up from there. Over the last week, two flights carrying eight total private space tourists launched: Blue Origin’s NS-19 mission carrying Michael Strahan et al to…
Virgin Orbit and Spire Partner in Record Time
Virgin Orbit and Spire Global have signed a buzzer-beating deal to send a Spire space debris-monitoring satellite to orbit. The satellite will launch aboard Virgin’s “Above the Clouds” LauncherOne mission later this month. The deal went through in record time, as the satellite gained FAA approval and was integrated within a day and a half…
House Passes Defense Spending Bill
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed in the House on Tuesday night. The final version of the must-pass defense bill was edited and eliminated language about creating a Space National Guard. The bipartisan bill is now with the Senate, where it is expected to pass before landing on POTUS’s desk to be signed into law. The highlights: In all,…
A Q&A with NASA’s Astronaut Candidates
Payload spoke with Anil Menon, Deniz Burnham, and Jack Hathaway, three of the ten candidates in NASA’s new astronaut class. The astronauts-to-be talked with us about their unique and winding paths to this point, their passion for space, and their hopes for the Artemis generation of lunar exploration. Anil Menon, a US Air Force lieutenant…
Alternative Navigation Systems to GPS
Last week, a Russian government official announced on state television that Russian ASAT capabilities could wipe out 32 NATO GPS satellites. That’d leave users around the world without access to navigation services…and US weapons systems without a compass. Sitting ducks? As of Nov. 11, there were 26 operational GPS satellites out of 31 total in orbit. That number has been as high…
NASA Prepares to Launch Two Science Missions
NASA is about to get new eyes and ears. This week, the agency plans to launch two long-term science missions: the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). Laser comms: LCRD will be the first NASA mission sent to orbit this week, with its launch window opening early Tuesday morning. The…
Rocket Lab Reveals Neutron Update
Yesterday, Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) finally lifted the wraps on Neutron, its forthcoming medium-lift launch vehicle. CEO Peter Beck kept his pre-2019 promise to eat his hat—literally—if Rocket Lab ever developed a reusable launch vehicle. Meet Neutron: The first stage will be fully reusable, with a target turnaround time of just 24 hours. The squat rocket…
National Space Council Outlines Priorities in Space
Yesterday, the Biden White House outlined space priorities and held its first National Space Council (NSpC) meeting. The three themes: using Earth observation (EO) data to mitigate climate change, creating global space norms, and promoting STEM education. Top of mind for NSpC: Collaboration with industry on climate change initiatives. VP Kamala Harris and others singled out EO satellite…
Astro2020 House Hearing
This morning, the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology is holding a hearing on Astro2020. The decadal survey on astronomy and astrophysics is sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Energy (DoE). On the docket for 2023-2033: a large infrared/optical/ultraviolet (IR/O/UV) space telescope and a few new powerful ground-based telescopes. The long…
China Space Forum Wrap-Up
Last week, the seventh annual China Commercial Aerospace Forum (CCAF) convened in Wuhan, China. Leaders from China’s civil, commercial, and military sectors met to discuss the country’s ascendant space program—and positive spillovers in the private sector. State updates: China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp. (CASIC), the country’s state-owned aerospace company, hosted the forum. CASIC reps…
DART Set for Launch
NASA is set to launch its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday. The mission will slam a spacecraft into an asteroid, hoping to knock it slightly off its orbit. A bit more detail: NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office contracted the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) to build DART. APL…
Rocket Lab Rinses and Repeats
Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) successfully completed its 22nd launch, “Love At First Insight,” with Electron last week. The rocket transported two BlackSky Earth observation satellites to orbit, bringing Rocket Lab’s satellite launch total to 107. With a twist: Love at First Insight involved a controlled splashdown of the rocket’s first stage. Rocket Lab stationed a helicopter…
