March 25, 2021

Synspective Signs Launch Agreement with Germany’s Exolaunch to Launch the Second SAR Satellite “StriX-β” on Soyuz-2 (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Synspective, a SAR satellite data and analytic solution provider, will launch with the German launch services provider, Exolaunch, to deploy the second demonstration satellite “StriX-β” on a Soyuz-2  launch vehicle from Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia in late 2021. StriX-β is the second demonstration satellite following Strix-α. It is aimed to demonstrate “InSAR (Interferometric SAR)” technology in orbit, a special SAR analytics technique to detect millimeter-level displacements on the ground surface. (3/23)

UCF Director of Space Medicine Advises Others: Fly High, Reach the Sky (Source: UCF FSI)
From sleeping on her apartment floor as an early career physician to preparing astronauts for spacewalks, Esther Beltran has never given up following her passions. Her advice to others: Never stop dreaming. Beltran is the director of space medicine and life sciences at the University of Central Florida’s Florida Space Institute. At UCF, her projects include helping develop effective countermeasures against space radiation, finding ways to mitigate the negative effects of microgravity on the human body, and researching ways to minimize the health risk of lunar dust for upcoming missions to the moon. (3/24)

Golden Eagle Exits Bankruptcy (Source: Space News)
Global Eagle Entertainment, which provides satellite connectivity services to aircraft and other users, has exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy. About half a dozen of Global Eagle's lenders took control of the company Tuesday, shedding about $488 million of its debt in the process. The company reported close to $1.1 billion in debt when it filed for bankruptcy protection last July. Global Eagle's lighter debt load helps position the company to take advantage of recovering markets, amid hopes that vaccine deployments will soon ease COVID-19-related travel restrictions. (3/24)

Lockheed Martin and Ombispace Study 5G From Space (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin is partnering with Omnispace to study providing 5G services from space. Lockheed said its "strategic interest agreement" with Omnispace does not involve any financial investment and is intended to explore joint development of 5G mobile broadband capability using satellites. The Space Force would be a potential customer, having asked companies in a recent request for information about the ability to provide 5G services from space. Omnispace is developing a hybrid space and ground network for 5G and internet-of-things services, but has yet to launch any satellites. (3/24)

Lithuania's NanoAvionics Plans Larger Smallsats (Source: Space News)
Lithuanian nanosatellite maker NanoAvionics is moving into the heavier microsatellite market. The company announced a new product line, called MP42, for satellites weighing 50 kilograms or more. The company, which has had success with smaller satellites using a modular bus, is taking a similar approach with MP42 and plans a first launch of that bus in the middle of next year. NanoAvionics expects increasingly affordable launch services, and the proliferation of rideshare missions, will help shift industry focus away from the smaller end of the small satellite market. (3/24)

South Korean Remote Sensing Satellite Marks Turning Point for Space Industry (Source: Space News)
The launch of a remote sensing satellite Monday marked the beginning of a transition for South Korea's space industry. The CAS500-1 satellite, launched on a Soyuz rideshare mission, was jointly developed by the state-funded Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and a group of selected industry partners. Korea Aerospace Industries, the country's largest private aerospace company, is using that experience to lead development of a second satellite, CAS500-2, scheduled for launch next year. If the transition goes as planned, KARI will take its hands off the development of 500-kilogram-class spacecraft by 2025, allowing the private sector to take over as it focuses on other types of satellites. (3/24)

India Suffers SSLV Setback (Source: PTI)
India's new small launch vehicle reportedly suffered a setback in testing. Sources in the Indian space agency ISRO said a static-fire test of the solid-fuel first stage of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) failed 95 seconds into a 110-second burn when the nozzle blew out. The motor experienced oscillations starting about 60 seconds into the burn. ISRO has not confirmed the testing mishap or discussed its implications for the vehicle's development. The first launch of the SSLV was scheduled for April. (3/24)
 
USA and Russia Talk Space Security (Source: TASS)
American and Russian officials met Tuesday to discuss space security issues. The Russian foreign ministry said the two sides "exchanged views on a wide spectrum of problems of security of space activities" in the videoconference. Neither it nor the U.S. State Department released additional details about the meeting. (3/24)
 
Delta 2 Now On Display at KSC Visitor Complex (Source: Florida Today)
A retired Delta 2 rocket is now on display at the Kennedy Space Center. The vehicle was formally added Tuesday to the "rocket garden" at the center's visitor complex, joining several other vehicles on display. The Delta 2 was retired in 2018 after nearly three decades of service and 155 launches. (3/24)

Aerion Supersonic Hits $10 Billion in Orders for Futuristic Jets to be Built in Melbourne (Source: Florida Today)
Design planning is underway for Aerion's $375 million global headquarters, slated for construction at the Melbourne airport within eyeshot of Northrop's campus. Called Aerion Park, this 110-acre complex will house aircraft design, manufacturing, flight test and completion centers. Aerion hit $10 billion in orders for its planned supersonic jets. (3/24)

Skyrora Boosted by ESA Funding (Source: Skyrora)
Scottish-based rocket company, Skyrora, has received €3 million of co-funding from the European Space Agency (ESA), ensuring that the company can complete at pace the development of its rocket technology. The funding puts Skyrora on track to be the first UK company to launch satellites from Europe, delivering the UK’s sovereign space launch capability – a key Government ambition.

The funding, which is part of the ESA’s Boost! program, will be used by Skyrora to complete the crucial technology required to deliver consistent orbital launches from the UK with Skyrora’s XL launch vehicle. Skyrora XL is a 23-meter 56-tonne three-stage rocket capable of carrying up to 315 kg into orbit. The vehicle is on course to be test-launched in 2022 from a UK spaceport. (3/24)

Relativity Space Printed its Terran 1 Rocket’s Second Stage in a Few Weeks (Source: Ars Technica)
When Relativity Space was founded with the audacious idea of using 3D printing to manufacture pretty much the entirety of a small rocket, the premise sounded revolutionary. But if the company could pull it off, Relativity would have the potential to upend traditional rocket manufacturing, which in many respects remains a hands-on job.

There remain very real questions about whether or not this approach is ultimately feasible. The acid test will come when Relativity attempts to reach orbit. Nevertheless, the company's 3D printing technology does seem to be working. Two recent milestones in the development of the company's Terran 1 rocket, in fact, suggest the tech is working really well.

Relativity CEO Tim Ellis said the company recently printed the second stage that will be used on the inaugural flight of the Terran 1 rocket, which is presently scheduled to take place before the end of 2021. The stage was printed at a rate of about 1 linear foot per day, so in printer time it took about three weeks in total to produce the 20-foot tall second stage. (3/24)

EUMETSAT, Arianespace Confirm Launch of Two Meteosat Third Generation Satellites with Ariane 6 (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Arianespace and EUMETSAT signed an update of their Launch Services Agreement for two Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellites. The sounder satellite MTG-S1 and the imager satellite MTG-I2 will be launched with Ariane 6, the next generation of Ariane family of launchers. Arianespace will also place into orbit the MTG-I1 satellite with an Ariane 5 launcher by the end of 2022. The launch orderbook includes two more state-of-the-art meteorological polar satellites as well as one additional launch, still in option. (3/23)

SpaceX Launches 60 More Starlink Satellites (Source: Parabolic Arc)
On March 24 SpaceX launched 60 Starlink broadband satellites from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida. It was SpaceX’s ninth launch and the 25th launch worldwide of 2021. Seven Falcon 9 boosters have launched 420 Starlink satellites into orbit this year. SpaceX has now launched 1,385 Starlink satellites, with 1,321 currently in orbit.

SpaceX has received approval from the FCC to launch nearly 12,000 Starlink satellites to provide broadband services worldwide. This was the sixth launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster, which previously supported launch of GPS-III Space Vehicle 03, Turksat 5A, and three Starlink missions. One half of Falcon 9’s fairing supported the Sentinel-6A mission and the other supported a previous Starlink mission. (3/24)

Space Force Awards $280 Million Contract Extension to Bluestaq for Unified Data Library (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Bluestaq LLC has won a two-year, $280M extension to its current Advanced Command and Control Enterprise Systems and Software (ACCESS) contract by the General Services Administration (GSA). This contract modification will allow Bluestaq to continue the development and data integration of the Unified Data Library (UDL) for the US Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center Data Program Management Office.

This award follows Bluestaq’s 2019 $37 million GSA Phase III SBIR contract award to integrate data supporting Space and Air and Multi-domain operations. In support of Space Force operations, Bluestaq will continue to build a secure, modern data management platform from a wide range of sources spanning commercial, Department of Defense (DoD), and the United States Intelligence Community (IC). (3/24)

Leaf Space Announces U.S. Expansion (Source: Leaf Space)
Leaf Space, a leading provider of ground segment as-a-service (GSaaS) solutions, announced today that the company is expanding to the United States and will support their rapidly growing list of U.S.-based customers while also adding new ground stations to existing infrastructure. Headquartered in Lomazzo, Italy, Leaf Space enables full exploitation of space data to satellite and launch vehicle operators. (3/24)

NASA, Industry to Mature Vertical Solar Array Technologies for Lunar Surface (Source: Parabolic Arc)
NASA is working with commercial companies to mature vertically deployable solar array systems for the lunar surface. The Artemis program will return NASA to the Moon and establish a sustainable presence at the lunar South Pole. A reliable, sustainable power source would support lunar habitats, rovers, and even construction systems for future robotic and crewed missions. The agency has selected five companies to design solar array technologies that can autonomously deploy up to 32 feet high and retract for relocation if necessary. (3/23)

NASA to Offer Funding for Initial Studies of Commercial Space Stations (Source: Space News)
NASA is shifting direction in its effort to support development of commercial space stations in low Earth orbit, with plans to issue a series of awards for initial studies before later purchasing services.

At a March 23 industry briefing, agency officials outlined what it calls the Commercial LEO Development (CLD) program, which will start with a set of two to four funded Space Act Agreements with companies to help with the initial design of their proposed orbital facilities. A draft announcement of proposals is scheduled for release in April followed by the final version in May.

Those awards, planned for the fourth quarter of 2021 with a combined value of $300 million to $400 million, will cover work from fiscal years 2022 to 2025 to advance the design of proposed commercial space stations to at least the preliminary design review level. The studies will also help NASA understand both the potential supply of commercial LEO destinations as well as the mix of customers who would use them alongside NASA. (3/23)

NASA Contractor Hit With Overtime Wages Suit (Source: Law360)
A NASA contractor misclassified employees as exempt from overtime compensation and failed to pay premiums when they worked as many as 60 hours a week, a former procurement specialist has alleged in a proposed class and collective action in Maryland federal court. James Curtis accuses Genesis Engineering of misclassifying him and other workers as overtime-exempt employees and, in doing so, failing to pay overtime wages. (3/23)