December 24, 2023

Firefly Alpha Launches From California, But Upper Stage Malfunction Puts Payload Into Wrong Orbit (Source: Space News)
A problem with the upper stage of a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket placed a Lockheed Martin technology demonstration satellite into the wrong orbit on a Dec. 22 launch. The Alpha rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:32 p.m. Eastern on a mission called “Fly the Lightning” by Firefly. The launch was originally scheduled for Dec. 20 but postponed two days because of weather. (12/23)

FDI Policy Critical for India Space Sector Development (Source: The Hindu)
The Telecom Bill, 2023, passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday will give added impetus to the country’s space sector where recent reforms permit larger participation by private players, according to S. Somanath, Secretary, Department of Space (DoS), and Chairman, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Together with the Indian Space Policy-2023, the Telecom Bill provides the “needed clarity” on the roles of government and the stakeholders, which will help new players to venture into the flourishing sectors of Telecom, IT and Space, he said in a DoS note on the Bill’s impact on the space sector. (12/21)

Edge Analytic’s $470.3 Million Space Force Order Upheld by GAO (Source: Bloomberg)
The Mission Essential Group LLC failed to show that an organizational conflict of interested tainted award of a $470.3 task order to Edge Analytic Solutions LLC to provide the US Space Force with intelligence support, the GAO said. Mission Essential argued that the the Defense Intelligence Agency—which issued the order—didn’t properly consider how Edge Analytic had an impaired objectivity conflict of interest because of Edge Analytic’s joint venture member Metis. An affiliate of Mentis, Amentum, is an active US Space Force contractor providing intelligence gathering technologies and services, the Government Accountability Office said. (12/21)

Bezos Taps Amazon Vet to Speed Up Space Company Blue Origin (Source: Reuters)
An Amazon veteran tapped by Jeff Bezos to lead Blue Origin aims to pull from the e-commerce giant's speedy manufacturing playbook to give the space company's rocket launch and moon lander business a badly needed boost against Elon Musk's SpaceX. Top priorities for Dave Limp, who led Amazon's (AMZN.O) lucrative devices unit, include accelerating development of Blue Origin's long-delayed New Glenn rocket and production of its powerful BE-4 engine, according to two employees who attended the new CEO's company-wide meeting this month. (12/21)

Canadian Space Agency Announces Winners of the 2023 Space Apps Challenge (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has announced the winners of the Canadian challenges of the global Space Apps Challenge. The CSA had a set of national awards for the annual global Space Apps Challenge started by NASA in 2012. In Canada, 1300 students from 12 cities participated. The national awards included the Stargazer and Moonwalker prizes. Each of the prize categories was based on the level of complexity with the Stargazer prize being a “regular” complexity and the Moonwalker an “advanced” challenge. (12/21)