Expedition Space: Space Launch, Events, News

Stars of the globular cluster NGC 2419 are packed into this Hubble Space Telescope field of view toward the mostly stealthy constellation Lynx. The two brighter spiky stars near the edge of the frame are within our own galaxy. NGC 2419 itself is remote though, some 300,000 light-years away. In comparison, the Milky Way's satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, is only about 160,000 light-years distant. Roughly similar to other large globular star clusters like Omega Centauri, NGC 2419 is intrinsically bright, but appears faint because it is so far away. Its extreme distance makes it difficult to study and compare its properties with other globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy. Sometimes called "the Intergalactic Wanderer", NGC 2419 really does seem to have come from beyond the Milky Way. Measurements of the cluster's motion through space suggest it once belonged to the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy, another small satellite galaxy be...

What created Devils Tower? The origin of this extraordinary rock monolith in Wyoming, USA is still debated, with a leading hypothesis holding that it is a hardened lava plume that never reached the surface to become a volcano. In this theory, the lighter rock that once surrounded the dense volcanic neck has now eroded away, leaving the dramatic tower. Known by Native Americans by names including Bear's Lodge and Great Gray Horn, the dense rock includes the longest hexagonal columns known, some over 180-meters tall. High above, the central band of the Milky Way galaxy arches across the sky. Many notable sky objects are visible, including dark strands of the Pipe Nebula and the reddish Lagoon Nebula to the tower's right. Green grass and trees line the foreground, while clouds appear near the horizon to the tower's left. Unlike many other international landmarks, mountaineers are permitted to climb Devils Tower. via NASA https://ift.tt/HOlTXML

by Debra Werner SAN FRANCISCO – York Space Systems has learned a lot from operating its first production-model spacecraft in orbit for two years. The biggest takeaway, though, has been the need to automate satellite handling on the ground. “In the first few months, it became clear it was going to require as many as 15 different people to operate a constellation for a specific customer,” Charles Beames, York Space Systems executive chairman, told SpaceNews. “So, we got down to business automating that. We’ve gone down from 15 people to no people, to zero.” Through four phases of flight software development, York engineers have upgraded S-Class satellites and ground systems to handle common anomalies. If solar radiation causes a spike in voltage, for example, the ground systems know how to correct that autonomously, Beames added. York was founded in 2012 to slash the cost of satellite manufacturing and operations with a standard S-Class satellite. Automating satellite operations i...

by Brian Berger SEOUL, South Korea — Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), which played a key role in developing South Korea’s recently launched CAS500-1 remote sensing satellite , will invest 1 trillion won ($880 million) over the next five years to expand its space business, including satellite production, according to its chief executive. Space will command nearly 45 percent of 2.2 trillion won the company has set aside for a broader five-year growth plan, which also includes the development of electric and hydrogen aircraft, air defense electronics, simulations and software. Under the plan, KAI is working on acquiring or forming a strategic partnership with undisclosed companies, in a move to launch ground station and satellite imagery analysis services in two or three years, said CEO Ahn Hyun-ho in a press conference here April 2. He said the company will announce details in August.  “We have set up a clear vision for our space business,” Ahn said. “It is something from whic...

by Jeff Foust WASHINGTON — Astrobotic has signed a contract with SpaceX for the launch of its Griffin lunar lander, carrying a NASA lunar rover, on a Falcon Heavy in 2023. Astrobotic announced April 13 that it selected SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy for its Griffin Mission 1 lunar lander mission, which will deliver the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) spacecraft to the south pole of the moon in late 2023. Astrobotic won a NASA competition through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program last year to transport VIPER on its Griffin lunar lander. “Getting to the moon isn’t just about building a spacecraft, but having a complete mission solution. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy completes our Griffin Mission 1 solution by providing a proven launch vehicle to carry us on our trajectory to the moon,” Daniel Gillies, director of Griffin Mission 1 at Astrobotic, said in a statement. Astrobotic declined to disclose the terms of the deal. SpaceX publishes a list price of $90...

by Sandra Erwin WASHINGTON — Slingshot Aerospace announced April 13 it won a $1.2 million Space Force contract for the development of software to help satellite operators visualize missile detection. Slingshot teamed with Zoic Labs to develop a graphics tool that makes it easier for operators to view and interact with complex data collected by the Space Force’s overhead persistent infrared (OPIR) sensor satellites, said Melanie Stricklan, Slingshot’s co-founder and CEO .   Zoic Labs’ parent company Zoic Studios creates visual effects for Hollywood movies. OPIR satellites detect missile launches and operators provide early warnings to U.S. troops and allies who might be at risk of attack. The contract is to develop and test algorithms and processing techniques using controlled data from past missile launch events. Stricklan said the company hopes to win a follow-on contract to transition the tool to actual  operations of  space-based infrared surveillance, tracking ...

by Andrew Jones HELSINKI — A Long March 7 rocket has arrived at China’s coastal Wenchang spaceport to facilitate the Tianzhou-2 supply mission to a soon-to-launch space station module. The delivery was announced by the China Manned Space Engineering Office Monday and is part of intense preparations for construction of a modular space station in low Earth orbit.  China is currently readying a Long March 5B rocket to launch Tianhe, aroughly 22-metric-ton spacecraft which will serve as the core space station module. That mission is expected to launch in late April. The recently delivered Long March 7 kerosene-liquid oxygen propellant medium-lift rocket will be assembled to launch the Tianzhou-2 cargo and supply spacecraft to dock with the core module. The Tianzhou-2 mission will provide Tianhe with propellant for maintaining its orbital altitude as well as supplies for hosting astronauts. The cargo spacecraft will have a mass of around 13,000 at liftoff, with a cargo mass of ar...

by Debra Werner SAN FRANCISCO — Orbital Sidekick announced a $16 million Series A funding round April 13 led by Singapore investment giant Temasek that clears the way for the company to complete development of its first constellation of hyperspectral imaging satellites. “Temasek is a great foothold within the Asia Pacific region,” Daniel Katz, Orbital Sidekick CEO and co-founder, told  SpaceNews . “Like any other space company, one of our value propositions is serving clients on a global scale.” After closing the $16 million investment round, Orbital Sidekick has completed the conditions for receiving another $16 million in U.S. Air Force funding . In October, the San Francisco startup announced the $16 million award from the U.S. Air Force commercial investment group AFVentures’s Strategic Financing program to support the launch of its six-satellite Global Hyperspectral Observation Satellite constellation, known as GHOSt. Orbital Sidekick plans to begin launching GHOSt satel...

How fast do elementary particles wobble? A surprising answer to this seemingly inconsequential question came out of Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, USA in 2001, and indicated that the Standard Model of Particle Physics, adopted widely in physics, is incomplete. Specifically, the muon, a particle with similarities to a heavy electron, has had its relatively large wobble under scrutiny in a series of experiments known as g-2 (gee-minus-two). The Brookhaven result galvanized other experimental groups around the world to confirm it, and pressured theorists to better understand it. Reporting in last week, the most sensitive muon wobble experiment yet, conducted at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Illinois and pictured here, agreed with the Brookhaven result. The unexpected wobble rate may indicate that an ever-present sea of virtual particles includes types not currently known. Alternatively, it may indicate that flaws exist in difficult theoretical predictio...

by Jeff Foust WASHINGTON — A test flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle, scheduled for as soon as April 14, will be a dress rehearsal for long-awaited crewed flights. Blue Origin said April 12 that it will perform “astronaut operational exercises” before and after the flight of the vehicle at the company’s West Texas test site. That launch is scheduled for a window that opens at 9 a.m. Eastern April 14. Launch opportunities run through April 17, according to temporary flight restrictions published by the Federal Aviation Administration. During prelaunch preparations, Blue Origin personnel will board the vehicle, strap into seats and test communications, much as astronauts flying on the vehicle would do. Ground personnel will close the hatch briefly, simulating closeouts prior to launch, before opening the hatch again and allowing the personnel to exit the capsule. After New Shepard completes its uncrewed suborbital flight, personnel will board the capsule to simu...

by Sandra Erwin WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s Space Development Agency wants to hear from satellite manufacturers about their capabilities to support the agency’s plans to deploy a large network of spacecraft in low-Earth orbit.   SDA in a request for information issued April 10 asks companies that intend to compete for an upcoming contract to confirm that they will be able to meet specific technical requirements. A key concern of SDA is to to make sure satellites from different vendors are interoperable. The next procurement of satellites by SDA is expected later this year. The agency intends to buy 150 satellites to be launched in late 2024. The plan is to award multiple contracts as SDA wants to create an open marketplace where vendors can compete for orders. The concern, however, is to make sure that satellites from different manufacturers can talk to each other.   “SDA is seeking industry feedback on its ability to support a homogeneous constellation design,” said th...

by Sandra Erwin WASHINGTON — The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency selected Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin to develop competing spacecraft concepts for a demonstration of nuclear thermal propulsion, the agency announced April 12. Under a program called DRACO, short for demonstration rocket for agile cislunar operations, DARPA wants to demonstrate nuclear thermal propulsion technology — using a nuclear reactor to heat up rocket fuel to generate thrust. DARPA awarded General Atomics a $22 million contract to develop the nuclear reactor. Lockheed Martin’s contract value is $2.9 million and the Blue Origin’s is $2.5 million. The goal of the program is to launch a spacecraft driven by nuclear thermal propulsion above low Earth orbit in 2025. DARPA believes this technology will allow spacecraft to travel huge distances quickly. “Rapid maneuver in the space domain has traditionally been challenging because current electric and chemical space propulsion systems have drawba...

by Jason Rainbow TAMPA, Fla. — Northrop Grumman’s MEV-2 satellite servicer successfully docked March 12 with Intelsat’s in-orbit 10-02 spacecraft. The maneuver was completed at 1:34 p.m. Eastern, marking the first time a satellite servicer has docked with an in-service commercial satellite in geosynchronous orbit (GEO). The two spacecraft will stay locked together for five years to extend the life of IS-10-02, which was running low on fuel after being in orbit since 2004.  MEV-2 will then undock and move on to a new mission. “The success of this mission paves the way for our second generation of servicing satellites and robotics, offering flexibility and resiliency for both commercial and government satellite operators, which can enable entirely new classes of missions,” said Tom Wilson, vice president of strategic space systems at Northrop Grumman. IS-10-02 provides broadband and media distribution services to Intelsat customers across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and S...

by Sandra Erwin WASHINGTON — The Atlantic Council, an international security think tank, released a 100-page report   that calls on the United States and allies to advocate for new global rules for safe activities in outer space.   “Space is getting pretty crowded. More than seventy nations operate national space programs, making international space governance prime for a reboot,” said the report released April 12 by the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center. The report recommends steps that could be taken over the next 30 years to ensure space remains accessible and peaceful.   The authors call for an overhaul of the body of international law governing space, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. The report suggests a new treaty is needed to address the security and commercial realities of space in the 21st century. The authors also call for a coalition to push back on Russian and Chinese testing and deployments of anti-satellites weapons.   “As private sector investmen...

by Debra Werner SAN FRANCISCO – L3Harris Technologies and Raytheon Intelligence & Space won NASA contracts to carry forward studies of next-generation imagers for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary and Extended Orbits (GEO-XO) satellites. The one-year, firm-fixed price contracts worth about $6 million apiece set the stage for the two weather sensor leaders to compete to build infrared and visible-imaging instruments for the NOAA satellites to follow the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R (GOES-R) series. NASA awarded the contracts on behalf of NOAA, the agency funding, managing and preparing to operate the satellites. L3Harris is the incumbent. The company based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, builds GOES-R’s Advanced Baseline Imagers. In addition, L3Harris manufactures Cross Track Infrared Sounders for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), Japan’s Advanced Himawari Imagers and South Korea’s Advanced Meteorological Instrument. ...