November 23, 2020

Space Force Puts Priority on Situational Awareness (Source: Space News)
Space tracking sensors and artificial intelligence systems that analyze data are becoming high priorities for the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command. Speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum Saturday, Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond said technologies that contribute to space domain awareness are a pressing need for the U.S. Space Force. The new deputy commander of U.S. Space Command, Lt. Gen. John Shaw, said at a separate event last week that space domain awareness will be one of the command's top priorities in the next year, calling it a "big data problem" that requires not just new sensors but also new technologies to analyze data from them. (11/23)

Clyde Space to Develop 10-Cubesat Constellation (Source: Space News)
AAC Clyde Space has won a contract to develop a 10-cubesat communications and Earth-observation constellation. Under the $22.5 million deal for the xSPANCION project, AAC Clyde Space will develop and manufacture satellites to provide space-based services to companies eager to harness satellites to tackle business problems without investing in the space-based architecture or related expertise. The U.K. Space Agency is providing about half the funding for the project. AAC Clyde Space intends to raise additional funds for the project by signing up customers for constellation services. (11/23)

Orbital Sidekick to Support Pipeline Monitoring (Source: Space News)
Hyperspectral satellite startup Orbital Sidekick will work with an industry-led consortium to develop tools for daily monitoring of oil and gas pipelines. Orbital Sidekick will gather satellite and aerial observations over the Bakken and Permian basins to demonstrate the value of space-based hyperspectral pipeline monitoring under the contract with the Intelligent Pipeline Integrity Program consortium. The company has one hyperspectral sensor on the International Space Station and is preparing to launch its second sensor in December on a Loft Orbital satellite. (11/23)

Germany and Japan Plan Asteroid Mission Collaboration (Source: Space News)
Germany and Japan are partnering on a low-cost asteroid mission. The German space agency DLR will build the Destiny Dust Analyzer instrument for the Destiny+ mission, scheduled to launch in 2024 on a mission to the near Earth asteroid 3200 Phaethon. The JAXA-led mission will test innovative technologies that the agency hopes to utilize in its future deep space exploration missions. Destiny+ will also carry two sets of cameras that will explore the surface of the asteroid during the 2026 flyby. (11/23)

NASA Model Reveals How Much COVID-Related Pollution Levels Deviated From the Norm (Source: NASA)
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, space- and ground-based observations have shown that Earth’s atmosphere has seen significant reductions in some air pollutants. However, scientists wanted to know how much of that decline can be attributed to changes in human activity during pandemic-related shutdowns, versus how much would have occurred in a pandemic-free 2020.

Using computer models to generate a COVID-free 2020 for comparison, NASA researchers found that since February, pandemic restrictions have reduced global nitrogen dioxide concentrations by nearly 20%. The results were presented at the 2020 International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis. (11/17)

Iran Official Calls for Creation of Permanent Space-Based Radar (Source: Sputnik)
Tehran achieved a major breakthrough with its space programme in April, launching the Noor-1 (lit. 'Light-1') military satellite into orbit. US Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond derided the spacecraft as a mere "tumbling webcam in space". However, in July, Iran released detailed satellite images of the largest US base in the Middle East.

Building on the success of its previous endeavors, Iran needs to move to the development and construction of space-based radars, Deputy Defence Minister Brig. Gen. Qassem Taqizadeh has said. "Sooner or later, we will need space-based radars. We must pursue this issue in the country's scientific communities and have the necessary context in this regard to ensure that the country does not suffer from any 'strategic technological surprises' in the future," Taqizadeh said.

Praising Iranian scientists and industries for their efforts in expanding Iran's capabilities in radar technologies, including passive and active phased array radars, the deputy defence minister said these efforts were aimed at "thwarting the enemy's electromagnetic onslaught" and ensuring the operation of sophisticated and effective Iranian air defences. In late September, the Revolutionary Guard inaugurated a new National Aerospace Park in Tehran, showing off the Middle Eastern nation's advances in missile, rocket, radar, engine, defence electronics, drone and satellite technologies. (11/22)