July 31, 2020

Amazon Gets FCC Okay for Kuiper Megaconstellation (Source: Space News)
The FCC has approved plans by Amazon to develop a constellation of 3,200 broadband satellites. The authorization announced by the FCC Thursday will allow Amazon to operate the Project Kuiper system in orbits ranging from 590 to 630 kilometers, providing Ka-band services. Amazon has to launch the first half of the constellation by July 2026, with the full system in orbit by July 2029. Amazon says it is still working on the design of the satellites as well as its launch plans, but anticipates deploying Project Kuiper satellites in five waves, starting service once the first, comprising 578 satellites, is in orbit. Amazon said it plans to invest more than $10 billion into Project Kuiper. (7/31)

Proton Launches Two Commsats (Source: Space News)
A Proton rocket launched two communications satellites Thursday. The Proton M lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 5:25 p.m. Eastern carrying the Express-80 and Express-103 communications satellites. The two satellites won't deploy from the Breeze M upper stage until 18 hours after liftoff. Those satellites, built by ISS Reshetnev for the Russian Satellite Communications Company, will provide C-, Ku- and L-band communications services for Russia and some neighboring countries. (7/31)

Space Force Acquisition Reform Tied Up in White House Review (Source: Space News)
A report on Space Force acquisition reforms is tied up in a White House review. A draft of the report was delivered to Congress in May and then pulled back for changes. Shawn Barnes, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, said Thursday the report is still under review and that he was "a little frustrated" by the delay. The Office of Management and Budget reportedly objected to language in the report recommending that Congress "incrementally" appropriate funding for large programs like satellites instead of fully funding the entire cost of the program in the year the satellite is ordered. (7/31)

Intelsat to Market Eutelsat Capacity (Source: Space News)
Intelsat will market half the capacity on a new Eutelsat satellite. The operators said they agreed to use an orbital slot they co-own at 48 degrees east, a location in geosynchronous orbit with coverage over the Middle East and Northern Africa, for the Eutelsat Quantum satellite. That satellite, scheduled for launch late this year, features highly customizable beams that can be reprogrammed to change their shape, size and power. Intelsat General, the government sales arm of Intelsat, will market capacity on Eutelsat Quantum to the U.S. military with security upgrades. (7/31)

Mars 2020 Spacecraft Operating Fine Despite Post-Launch Comm Glitch (Source: NASA)
NASA's Mars 2020 spacecraft is in good condition despite some post-launch glitches. NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) initially had problems locking onto the spacecraft, which mission officials said was because the spacecraft's signal, so close to Earth, was strong enough to saturate the DSN's receivers. Once communications were established and telemetry received from the spacecraft, controllers found it was in a safe mode because of a "transient event" involving spacecraft temperatures as it went into the Earth's shadow. NASA said the problem wasn't serious and controllers were working to resume normal spacecraft operations. (7/31)
 
South Korea Given Green Light for Solid-Propellant Rockets (Source: Space Daily)
South Korea has been permitted to develop solid-fuel space rockets after missile guidelines were revised with the United States. Kim Hyun-chong, South Korea's deputy national security adviser to President Moon Jae-in, said at a press briefing Seoul is to adopt amendments to current missile standards starting Tuesday. According to the presidential office, the revised missile guidelines will provide South Korea the power to launch Low-Earth Orbit military satellites "anywhere and at anytime." The satellites would operate at between 310 and 1,200 miles above the Earth's surface. (7/29)

Russia Conducts Anti-Satellite Weapon Test (Source: Space Daily)
U.S. Space Command has evidence that Russia conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon. On July 15, Russia injected a new object into orbit from Cosmos 2543, currently Satellite Catalog Number 45915 in Space-Track.org. Russia released this object in proximity to another Russian satellite, which is similar to on-orbit activity conducted by Russia in 2017, and inconsistent with the system's stated mission as an inspector satellite. Tracking information can be found on Space-Track.org.

"The Russian satellite system used to conduct this on-orbit weapons test is the same satellite system that we raised concerns about earlier this year, when Russia maneuvered near a U.S. government satellite," said Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond, Commander of U.S. Space Command and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations. "This is further evidence of Russia's continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlin's published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold U.S. and allied space assets at risk." (7/27)

Russia Says It is Committed to Space Demilitarization Amid US Claims About Anti-Satellite Weapons (Source: Sputnik)
On Thursday, the US's recently created Space Force accused Russia of testing an anti-satellite weapon from one of its orbiting satellites. Russia is committed to the full demilitarization of space, and is opposed to the deployment of any types of weapons in space, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday. Commenting on whether the Kremlin would react to US accusations about Russian anti-satellite weapons testing, Peskov suggested that "this should probably be done by our defence ministry and the foreign ministry."

Peskov's comments follow allegations by US Space Force officials Thursday that Russia had tested an anti-satellite weapon from one of its orbiting satellites. In a statement, the newly created branch of the US military alleged that "on July 15, Russia injected a new object into orbit from Cosmos 2543," a Russian 'inspector' satellite. "Russia released this object in proximity to another Russian satellite, which is similar to on-orbit activity conducted by Russia in 2017, and inconsistent with the system's stated mission as an inspector satellite," the US agency added.

Space Force admitted that there was no indication that the projectile said to have been launched from the Cosmos-series satellite actually struck another orbiting satellite, calling the alleged test a "non-destructive" one. Space Force chief of space operations and US Space Command commander Gen. John 'Jay' Raymond said the Russian system involved in the test was the same one that 'inspected' a US surveillance satellite earlier this year. (7/31)

Musk Partners on Cruise Space Film (Source: Deadline)
Elon Musk will reportedly be a partner on the film Tom Cruise wants to shoot in space. Universal Pictures has agreed to back the film involving Cruise and director Doug Liman, with an estimated budget of $200 million but with few other details, such as a script. SpaceX would likely provide the transportation to and from the International Space Station. That budget is considered a bargain given it's similar to the costs of other major films that don't require flying to the ISS. (7/31)

Astra Targets Weekend Launch at Alaska Spaceport (Source: Space News)
Astra is targeting Sunday night for its first orbital launch attempt. Company executives said Thursday that they are still aiming for a launch during a two-hour window that opens at 10 p.m. Eastern for the Rocket 3.1 launch, although forecasts call for a 60% chance of poor weather. The launch is the first of three the company plans to carry out to demonstrate the ability of its small launch vehicle to reach orbit, and this launch has the primary purpose of testing the performance of the first stage. (7/31)

DARPA: No Plans for Another Launcher Challenge (Source: Space News)
DARPA has no plans to conduct another competition like its DARPA Launch Challenge. DARPA acting director Peter Highnam told reporters Thursday that he didn't know "what the advantage would be of doing another competition" like the DARPA Launch Challenge, which sought to demonstrate the performance of small, responsive launch vehicles. That competition ended in March when Astra, the last finalist still in the competition, scrubbed a launch attempt on the last day of the competition. (7/31)

SpaceX Readies for Starship Hop at Texas Launch Site (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX may be ready for a long-awaited "hop" test of a Starship prototype. The company performed a successful static-fire test of its latest Starship prototype, SN5, at Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted shortly after that test that a free flight of the vehicle to an altitude of 150 meters would take place "soon," with airspace restrictions indicating it could take place as soon as Sunday morning. SpaceX performed a similar hop test of a smaller prototype, called Starhopper, last August. (7/31)

India Opens Spaceport for Commercial Launch Pads (Source: Times of India)
India's space agency will allow companies to build their own launch sites at the country's main spaceport. The chairman of ISRO, K. Sivan, said that as part of a new commercialization initiative the agency will offer its expertise to private companies, including access to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre launch site for building their own launch facilities there. Although many ISRO centers remain closed because of the pandemic, Sivan said the agency is ready to start talking with companies about their needs. (7/31)

America Can Protect Its Satellites Without Kinetic Space Weapons (Source: War on the Rocks)
Washington should not reinvigorate its former kinetic space weapons programs to address the threats to its satellites. The use of kinetic space weapons during a conflict would create an enormous amount of debris that would harm the space systems that the US needs for precision targeting, early warning, navigation, communications, and other critical functions. Debris, which can remain in orbit for years, is one of the most serious threats to satellites. The US military should focus on the development of non-kinetic systems that can disarm adversary satellites without physically destroying them.

If the US must “hit back” due to an attack on space systems, it can do so using non-kinetic capabilities (e.g., electronic warfare or cyber) or a kinetic response in another domain. Targeting command and control facilities on the ground using kinetic and non-kinetic weapons could negate adversary space capabilities without creating debris that would threaten American, allied, and neutral space systems. To prevent the creation of even more debris, Washington should also work with other spacefaring nations to establish a moratorium on testing kinetic weapons against objects in space.

Space security analysts have warned about the potential vulnerability of satellites to cyber attacks and electronic warfare. Hackers could take control of satellites, deny access to their services, and spoof satellites’ signals (e.g., broadcasting fake GPS signals that are disguised as real ones). In a crisis, the US should actively exploit these vulnerabilities to deny adversaries access to their military space assets. The objectives of the Defense Space Strategy can be achieved through the use of non-kinetic space weapons like the Space Force’s counter communications system. Instead of destroying communications satellites, they can be jammed. Rather than developing weapons to completely eliminate adversary intelligence satellites, the US can invest in directed energy weapons that could “blind” them. (7/31)

Xtar Sells Satellite to Hisdesat, Shifts to Lease Agreement (Source: Space News)
Xtar, a company that provides satellite communications services to the U.S. government, has sold its only satellite to Hisdesat, one of its shareholders. Virginia-based Xtar signed a leasing agreement that allows it to retain the same amount of capacity on the satellite, Xtar-Eur, despite the change in ownership. Xtar and Hisdesat of Spain said the transaction and lease back agreement models the type of organizational structure the companies will have in the future once Hisdesat’s two SpainSat Next Generation satellites are launched, one in late 2023 and the second in 2024. (7/31)