Umbra Releases a 16 cm Commercial Satellite Image
Commercial space imaging hit a new resolution high-water mark. Satellite operator Umbra released a 16 cm/pixel Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image today, making it the highest-res commercial satellite image ever dropped, according to the company. The image is comparable to the resolution that was previously restricted to government use. “This means that we are finally…
NASA and IBM Release Geospatial AI Model
Wait your turn, room-temp superconductor. We’re still not finished with the AI craze. NASA and IBM launched their open-source geospatial foundation model on the AI platform Hugging Face, the team announced yesterday. The model leverages NASA’s vast inventory of satellite data to provide insight and modeling on the impacts of climate change. “We believe that…
SBIR’s Ignite Program Opens With A Different Ask This Year
This year, NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research Ignite program is looking for something new. “We want to market to firms that don’t typically do business with NASA,” engineer Quenton Bonds, who leads the SBIR Ignite program, said. The Ignite program, a two-year-old initiative aimed at helping NASA work with small businesses, is attempting to overhaul…
IARPA Launches Space Debris Tracking Initiative
IARPA, aka the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, is getting its feet wet in space awareness. The advanced R&D arm under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced Tuesday that it is launching a new program called SINTRA (Space Debris Identification and Tracking) to find, track, and characterize the millions of tiny pieces…
Northrop Grumman Says Goodbye to Russian Engines
Northrop Grumman’s farewell launch of its Antares 230+ rocket on Tuesday marked the end of an era for Russian tech on the company’s launch vehicles. The Antares 230+ was powered by Russia’s RD-181 engines. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the US intensified sanctions against Moscow and rocket technology transfers—including the RD-181—came to a screeching…
iRocket Partners with the AFRL on its Reusable Launch Vehicle
iRocket announced a partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory today, which will give the company exclusive access to a test facility at Edwards Air Force Base and the opportunity to collaborate on its reusable rocket. The AFRL Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) will help accelerate development of its methalox engines and fully reusable…
Voyager and Airbus Team Up To Replace The ISS
Two major space companies are joining forces to make a commercial successor to the ISS a reality. On Tuesday, Voyager Space and Airbus Defence and Space announced a joint venture to build and operate Starlab, a LEO space station designed by Nanoracks, a department of Voyager Space. “The International Space Station is widely regarded as…
Lawmakers Propose Recognition for Mercury 13
Astronauts like Sally Ride and Judith Resnik made history by shattering the glass ceiling to space, but a bipartisan group of lawmakers says it’s time to recognize the group of women who made the first cracks. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Young Kim (R-CA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), the four co-chairs of the…
Tilebox Raises $1.7M for Satellite Data Management
Tilebox, a startup building software to host and manage raw satellite data, raised $1.7M in a pre-seed round to build out its team and expand its product offering. “We’re really excited about the space because we see the growth,” Tilebox cofounder Laura Costa told Payload. “The software part of the data management and processing is…
Space Command HQ Will Stay in Colorado
Space Command HQ will remain in Colorado Springs, CO, reversing a controversial Trump administration decision to move the combatant command to Huntsville, AL. President Joe Biden notified the Defense Department of his decision on Monday, department spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement, noting that having the headquarters in Colorado will ensure “peak…
SpaceX Tests its Starship Water Deluge Flame Deflector
SpaceX completed the first full-throttle test of its water deluge system at Starbase on Friday, setting the stage for a Super Heavy booster static fire on the new system. “New water deluge system to protect against the immense heat & force of Starship launch,” Elon Musk tweeted after the test. The system: The water-cooled steel…
ESA Performs an Assisted Reentry of Aeolus
ESA successfully tested a new tool to safely deorbit defunct satellites that were designed before the development of current guidelines on reducing debris. On Friday, the agency performed an assisted reentry of its Aeolus wind-monitoring mission, which was not originally designed for a manual deorbit. “These manoeuvres were complex, and Aeolus was not designed to…
