May 31, 2018

Next-Gen Weather Satellite Goes Online; NASA Orders Two More for $460M (Source: NextGov)
The newest polar orbital weather satellite, JPSS-1, has successfully completed its six-month check-out in orbit and is officially fully operationa. JPSS-1 is the first of the new Joint Polar Satellite System to go online. The craft was launched in November and renamed NOAA-20 when it achieved orbit. A second polar satellite, JPSS-2, is currently being designed and built by Orbital ATK, with a launch scheduled for 2021. The JPSS-1 and its older sister, the Suomi NPP, circle the Earth 14 times a day in latitudinal arcs that provide imagery of the entire globe twice a day.

The successful check-out of JPSS-1 comes one week after NOAA engineers announced problems with another new satellite, GOES-17, a geostationary satellite intended to cover the western half of North America. During the GOES-17 check-out, engineers discovered a problem with the cooling system, rendering the satellite’s most important sensors inoperable 12 hours a day. JPSS-1 had no such issues and NASA has already greenlit construction of two more satellites for the constellation: JPSS-3 and JPSS-4. On Wednesday, NASA awarded Orbital an additional $460 million to develop the two new satellites, extending the company’s contract to 2026. (5/30)

Pratt & Whitney to Create 215 Jobs and Expand in Palm Beach County (Source: EFI)
Pratt & Whitney, a leading global manufacturer of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units, will be expanding its site in Palm Beach County and creating 215 jobs. In addition to these new jobs, since 2012, Pratt & Whitney has created 300 jobs for Florida families and employs a total of more than 1,300 Floridians. (5/23)

Harris Corp.'s Strong Ties to Space Coast Span 40 Years (Source: VeroNews.com)
Harris Corp., Brevard County’s largest private sector employer, is celebrating 40 years at its Melbourne headquarters. Harris manufactures electronics and communications equipment widely used in the space and aviation industry, as well as the military. The company’s Brevard County operations, with approximately 6,400 local employees, has emerged as a leader in both industry and the community.

“Clearly, they’ve had a huge impact not only from the standpoint of their employees, which is in the several thousands,” Melbourne Regional Chamber of Commerce President Michael Ayers said. “But beyond that, also being involved in the community and all the organizations they support, from the local chambers to all the nonprofits.”

Globally, Harris has 17,000 employees. Besides Florida, most of those employees are based in New York, Virginia and Colorado. The company annually pumps more than $250 million into Florida’s economy, according to the Space Coast Economic Development Commission. Most of that is generated in Brevard County. Two of the company’s three major facilities are in Brevard County, including the Harris Technology Center and the Harris Global Innovation Center. (5/24)

Viasat Wants Insurance Payout for Failed Satellite Antenna (Source: Space News)
Viasat is preparing a "big" insurance claim regarding an antenna problem with its ViaSat-2 satellite. The antenna problem on the Boeing-built satellite, revealed early this year, has reduced the satellite's capacity from 300 to 260 gigabits per second. Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said he expected to formally file a claim in the next month regarding the reduced capacity, but did not anticipate receiving a payment from insurers until next quarter at the earliest. Despite the antenna flaw, the company still considers the ViaSat-2 the "most capable broadband satellite" yet flown. (5/31)

Bridenstine Reaches Out to Democrats (Source: USA Today)
After a partisan confirmation battle, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is working to win over congressional Democrats. Bridenstine, who failed to get a single vote from Democratic senators when he was confirmed in April, is now being praised by some of those same senators, particularly regarding his changing views on climate change. In a statement, Bridenstine said he's working "to build and maintain great relationships on both sides of the aisle" to win support for the agency's priorities. (5/31)

More Investment for Japanese Space Startups (Source: Flight Global)
The parent company of a Japanese airline is making another small investment in a space startup. ANA Holdings, parent company of All Nippon Airways, is investing 200 million yen ($1.8 million) in PD Aerospace, a Japanese company with long-term aspirations to develop a spaceplane powered by pulse detonation engines. ANA invested a smaller sum in PD Aerospace in 2016. (5/31)

Blockchain Proposed for Lunar Ledger (Source: CollectSpace)
A nonprofit organization is turning to blockchain technology to maintain a ledger of historical lunar sites. For All Moonkind says it's partnering with TODAQ, a blockchain-based financial services marketplace, to develop a list of heritage locations on the moon, such as landing sites of spacecraft. The use of blockchain technology, which preserves records indefinitely, provides a needed degree of accountability and transparency in the process of identifying and recording such sites, the organizations argue. (5/31)