May 7, 2024

Valve Issue Scrubs Starliner Launch Attempt (Source: Space News)
A problem with a valve in the Atlas 5 upper stage scrubbed the first crewed launch of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner Monday night. Controllers halted the countdown about two hours before the scheduled 10:34 p.m. Eastern liftoff because of a "buzzing" noise from a liquid oxygen relief valve in the Centaur upper stage. That noise was caused by repeated cycling of the valve that engineers concluded could cause the valve to exceed its rated life. NASA has rescheduled the launch for no earlier than Friday evening as United Launch Alliance studies whether the valve needs to be replaced. If so, that would likely delay the launch to next week in order to roll the rocket back to its hangar for repairs. Starliner itself was in good shape, with preparations for launch running ahead of schedule at the time of the scrub. (5/7)

NGA Plans Use of Commercial Capabilities for Maritime Monitoring (Source: Space News)
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) plans to use commercial capabilities for maritime monitoring. Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, director of NGA, announced Monday at the GEOINT Symposium the agency's first-ever solicitation for commercial solutions focused specifically on maritime domain awareness. NGA seeks to establish partnerships with private companies to develop AI-powered analytics that can automatically detect illegal shipping activities like smuggling, human trafficking and illegal fishing. The maritime initiative is part of a broader strategy at NGA to rely more heavily on commercial satellite imagery, data services and artificial intelligence capabilities. (5/7)

Rocket Lab Signs with Six Suppliers for SDA Satellites (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab announced the suppliers for the satellites it is building for the Space Development Agency (SDA). Rocket Lab said Monday it had signed contracts with CesiumAstro, Mynaric, SEAKR Engineering, Collins Aerospace, Redwire Space and Parsons for spacecraft components and the ground system for the 18-satellite fleet. Those suppliers will augment Rocket Lab's own components for the spacecraft. The company won a $515 million contract at the end of last year for the Transport Layer Tranche 2 Beta satellites for SDA, scheduled to launch in mid-2027. (5/7)

China Deploys Four Satellites on Long March 6C Inaugural Launch (Source: Space News)
China launched the first Long March 6C rocket late Monday. The rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 11:21 p.m. Eastern and placed four satellites into orbit. The main payload was Haiwangxing-1, or Neptune-1, an experimental 239-kilogram X-band SAR satellite, with the other three another SAR satellite and two optical and video satellites. The Long March 6C is a shorter version of the Long March 6A without four solid-fuel boosters. It can place 2,400 kilograms into a sun-synchronous orbit, a little more than half the capacity of the Long March 6A. (5/7)

SpaceX Launches Monday Starlink Mission (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
A Falcon 9 launched a set of Starlink satellites Monday. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 2:14 p.m. Eastern and placed 23 satellites into orbit. The launch was the 15th flight of this booster. Two more Starlink launches, from Florida and California, are scheduled for Wednesday. (5/7)

Privateer Acquiring Orbital Insight (Source: Reuters)
Privateer is acquiring geospatial analytics firm Orbital Insight. Privateer, a company working on space situational awareness (SSA) products, said the acquisition will allow it to expand into geospatial services after finding little demand for its SSA offerings. Privateer financed the acquisition with the proceeds of a $56.5 million Series A round it closed last month, led by Aero X Ventures. Privateer did not disclose the price of the Orbital Insight deal or the company's valuation. (5/7)

Danti Raises $5 Million for Geospatial Search (Source: Space News)
Geospatial search engine startup Danti has raised $5 million. The seed funding, led by venture capital firm Shield Capital, will support development of its search engine that leverages artificial intelligence to unlock insights from a vast array of Earth observation data, including from satellites. Users can ask questions in plain English and receive comprehensive answers that combine data points from all sources. Danti says there is growing interest in its capabilities from military and intelligence customers. (5/7)

Maxar Links with Lockheed Martin to Provide Imagery for F-35 Simulators (Source: Space News)
Maxar will provide high-fidelity imagery for Lockheed Martin for use in F-35 simulators. The agreement announced Monday establishes standardized pricing, licensing and requirements for a suite of Maxar's geospatial data products, including imagery basemaps and 3D models. Imagery basemaps are a foundation layer for mapping and visualization projects and allow users to define the desired area of interest. (5/7)

Warren Asks DoD to Help Block Illicit Starlink Use by Russians in Ukraine (Source: Wall Street Journal)
A senator is asking the Defense Department to help block the illicit use of Starlink by Russian forces in Ukraine. In a letter releases Monday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) asked Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for details about what it knows about use of Starlink by Russian forces and efforts to halt that use, calling it a "serious national security threat." The Pentagon said in a statement that it is working closely with both SpaceX and the Ukrainian government to deal with those concerns. (5/7)

Space Force Wants Live Connection to Satellite Data (Source: Breaking Defense)
Lt. Gen. David Miller says the US Space Force will require tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data from remote sensing satellites to be sent directly to combat units across all domains without delay, as any delay in providing data to commanders and shooters is unacceptable. "The joint force commander needs to directly be able to task those [space-based] assets and prioritize retasking, ensuring that as the battle unfolds, the information is delivered directly to the shooters," he said. (5/6)

Central Florida School’s Rocket Teams Prepare for National Competition (Source: WCJB)
Members of the Cornerstone School Rocket teams held their final practice in preparation for the national finals of the American Rocketry Challenge next week. The teams’ mentor says it’s their third time competing and this time, the two teams are among a hundred national finalists. “It gets them working together, making decisions, cooperating with each other,” Peter Zaloom, a long-time rocket enthusiast and the teams’ mentor shared. “Analyzing information, measuring things, a lot of hand-eye coordination.” (5/5)

NASA's Ion Thruster Expertise Sustains Satellite Operations (Source: Space Daily)
In the ongoing battle against atmospheric drag in low Earth orbit, which gradually degrades satellite trajectories, the emergence of ion thrusters presents a significant improvement in space navigation. Unlike traditional propulsion systems that utilize bulky and costly chemical propellants, ion thrusters offer a lighter, more economical alternative for adjusting satellite orbits.

Established in 2016, Orbion Space Technology in Houghton, Michigan, aimed to innovate the satellite industry by extending operational lifespans or enhancing payload capacities of orbiting satellites. The pursuit led to the development of the Aurora thruster, designed for high efficiency and low fuel consumption.

Hall-effect thrusters, a sophisticated ion propulsion technology, operate on electrical power instead of chemical processes. The transition from an experimental phase to regular application in various space missions marks a significant achievement for Orbion. Collaboration with NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland was crucial, where Orbion accessed vital data under a Data Usage Agreement and obtained a non-exclusive evaluation license for ion thruster technology. (5/7)

Airbus to Continue Enhancing Pleiades Neo Next Constellation (Source: Space News)
Airbus will continue to improve sensors in its Pleiades Neo Next constellation rather than duplicating the capabilities of the two Pleiades Neo satellites in orbit. Airbus established the Pleiades Neo Next program in early 2024 and announced plans April 29 for the first space-based sensor. Airbus has not yet said how or when it will launch the first Pleiades Neo Next satellite, nor how many Pleiades Neo Next satellites there will be. The Pleiades Neo Next program is expected to run until 2040. (5/6)

Iceye to Allow Customers to Directly Task the Company’s Imaging Satellites (Source: Space News)
Iceye, a Finnish company that builds and operates a constellation of synthetic aperture radar imaging satellites, is providing customers with direct control to task their satellites, a capability that is increasingly common. The direct tasking of satellites by customers is becoming an increasingly common capability offered by commercial remote sensing satellite companies, enabling users to dynamically adjust imaging priorities and respond to emerging events. (5/6)

Muon Space and Earth Fire Alliance to Build Constellation for Wildfire Detection and Response (Source: Space News)
Muon Space, a startup developing small satellites to monitor Earth’s climate, is working with the nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance to build a constellation focused on prevention and monitoring of wildfires. Based in Mountain View, California, Muon Space is partnering with Earth Fire Alliance, a new organization dedicated to wildfire resilience, the company announced May 6 at the GEOINT Symposium. (5/6)

A Practical Approach to the Mars Sample Return Mission (Source: Space News)
NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission has run aground, wrecked by a $10 billion price estimate, a 16 year timeline and excessive mission and programmatic risk. If the mission is to proceed, a much simpler and cheaper approach must be found. Fortunately, such an approach is available. The current MSR mission plan is so costly, complex, and risky because it has not been approached as a mission to be accomplished as swiftly and cheaply as possible, but as an activity to be used to unify the international space exploration community by giving as many players as possible something to do. Click here. (5/6)

Capella Space Using AI to Automate Ship Identification (Source: Space News)
Capella Space, a company that builds and operates synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites to image the Earth, developed a tool to automate the identification of vessels captured by satellite images. David Hemphill, senior product manager at Capella Space, said the vessel classification data can be integrated with satellite-tasking software applications. “Users can request both SAR imagery and vessel classification analysis during the tasking process,” he said.

The system also uses artificial intelligence for historical analysis, enabling classification on imagery within Capella’s archive. “Analysts can pinpoint locations of interest within SAR imagery and gain immediate insights into vessel types,” said Hemphill. “This can be used to track activity in ports, shipping lanes or other areas.” (5/6)

‘People are Going to Try to Steal Your Secrets’ Dixon Warns (Source: Space News)
As U.S. intelligence agencies increase their reliance on commercial geospatial products and services, cybersecurity becomes a growing concern. “We create so many innovative solutions here in this country,” Stacey Dixon, U.S. deputy director of national intelligence, said in Orlando. “Yet we lose a lot of that innovation to adversaries because we aren’t properly protecting it. Invest in your cybersecurity. Understand that people are going to try to steal your secrets.” Potential adversaries will seek access to commercial products directly as well as through intermediaries. (5/6)

Europe Looks to End its Launcher Crisis (Source: Space Review)
Ongoing space access problems forced Europe to use a Falcon 9 to launch a pair of Galileo navigation satellites recently. Jeff Foust reports that the “launcher crisis” plaguing Europe shows signs of ending. Click here. (5/6)
 
Boeing’s Starliner, an Important Milestone for Commercial Spaceflight (Source: Space Review)
As soon as Monday night Boeing will launch its CST-100 Starliner on its first crewed flight. Wendy Whitman Cobb discusses why this long-delayed flight is nonetheless a key development for commercial spaceflight. Click here. (5/6)
 
The Rising flood of Space Junk is a Risk to Us on Earth (Source: Space Review)
A piece of debris jettisoned from the International Space Station hit a house in Florida in March. Thomas Cheney describes how space debris can play a growing risk not just in orbit but also on the ground, testing international space law. Click here. (5/6)