September 9, 2021

JWST Set for December 18 Launch From French Guiana (Source: Space News)
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has a formal launch date: Dec. 18. NASA, ESA and Arianespace jointly announced the launch date for the mission Wednesday, which is a month and a half later than the previous launch readiness date of Oct. 31. One Ariane 5 mission is scheduled ahead of JWST, on Oct. 22. An Arianepsace executive said earlier this week a payload fairing issue that halted Ariane 5 launches for nearly a year had been fixed, with no problems reported on the most recent launch in late July. (9/9)

Isar Aerospace to Launch OroraTech Wildfire Monitoring Cubesat (Source: Space News)
Isar Aerospace has signed a contract with OroraTech to launch the company's wildfire monitoring cubesat constellation. Isar Aerospace will conduct multiple launches of its Spectrum vehicle to deploy more than 10 OroraTech cubesats into sun-synchronous orbit between 2022 and 2026. Those satellites will provide early warnings of wildfires. OroraTech is the second customer to sign a launch contract with Isar Aerospace after Airbus Defence and Space agreed in April to launch an Earth observation satellite aboard a Spectrum rocket. (9/9)
 
Army Talks Complex Requirements for Broadband Connectivity (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Army is in the market for satellite communications — but with a complicated twist. Brig. Gen. Robert Collins, program executive officer for Army tactical networks, said it wants not just broadband connectivity but end-to-end services and durable hardware that can be deployed in austere locations and provide connectivity within hours. Rather than lay out a wish list and have the industry respond, the Army wants to see what the industry has to offer before it writes the solicitation, he said. Commercial satellite operators, antenna manufacturers and integrators have been invited to show the Army whether they can deliver on this vision. (9/9)

Pandemic Not the Only Cause of Satellite Supply Chain Issues (Source: Space News)
The pandemic has not been the only factor affecting supply chains for satellite manufacturers. During a panel at Satellite 2021 Wednesday, executives said they've been affected by supply chain disruptions linked to the pandemic. However, they said other issues include a shift to more software-defined satellites, which require using other suppliers for components, as well as constellations that increase demand for components. The pandemic has affected other aspects of their operations, including hiring and retaining employees. (9/9)

BridgeComm Partners with Space Micro for Optical Communications (Source: Space News)
Optical communications startup BridgeComm announced a strategic partnership with satellite component supplier Space Micro. The two companies will develop and demonstrate optical communications technology for U.S. government and commercial customers. BridgeComm, which is working to establish a global network of ground stations and a laser communications constellation in low Earth orbit, plans to draw on Space Micro’s expertise in designing, producing and testing space components. (9/9)

With $6 Million Incentive, SpaceX Will Develop Raptor Production Facility in McGregor Texas (Source: Waco Tribune-Herald)
A Texas city and county are providing financial support for a new SpaceX rocket engine factory. The city of Waco and McLennan County said they will provide $6 million towards a $150 million expansion of SpaceX's rocket engine testing facility in McGregor, Texas. SpaceX plans to set up a new production line there for the Raptor engines used on its Starship/Super Heavy vehicle. As part of the agreement, SpaceX will help develop a new STEM education center in Waco and hold an annual vendor fair. (9/8)

Amazon Steps Up Legal Challenge to SpaceX in Satellite Arena (Source: GeekWire)
Amazon fired the latest round in a war of words with SpaceX at the FCC. In a filing Wednesday, Amazon complained that SpaceX and other companies affiliated with Elon Musk believe "rules are for other people" after SpaceX complained that Amazon is "more than willing to use regulatory and legal processes to create obstacles designed to delay" competitors. The arguments are linked to a SpaceX request to the FCC to revise its plans for a later generation of Starlink satellites, preserving options to use either Starship or Falcon 9 to launch them. (9/8)

KSC Small Business Office Wins NASA Award (Source: NASA)
NASA's Kennedy Space Center is the recipient of NASA's FY20 Administrator's Cup award for having this year's best overall small business program. The award recognizes KSC's successful and innovative practices that promote small business participation in the initiatives that NASA undertakes. (9/8)

Promus Ventures Starts Space Fund (Source: Space News)
Promus Ventures unveiled a $140 million venture capital fund to support early-stage space and geospatial data companies around the world. Orbital Ventures is the first sector-specific fund from Promus Ventures, a firm based in Chicago that invests in deep tech like robotics, blockchain and artificial intelligence.

Promus Ventures already backs geospatial data and space companies. Its portfolio includes Iceye, Isotropic Systems, Mapbox, Rocket Lab and Spire. Promus has made targeted space industry investments since backing Spire in 2014, when conventional wisdom generally wrote off the entire sector as being too difficult and capital intensive. (9/8)

Yahsat Picks SpaceX to Launch Satellite (Source: Space News)
Yahsat selected SpaceX to launch its next-generation Thuraya mobile connectivity satellite. The satellite being built by Airbus Defence and Space for the UAE-based Yahsat is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in 2023. Yahsat CEO Ali Al Hashemi said the company didn’t consider other launch providers and called SpaceX Falcon 9 "the least risky launcher as we see it.” (9/8)

AT&T to Use OneWeb to Expand Broadband Coverage (Source: Space News)
AT&T will use OneWeb’s low Earth orbit constellation to extend high-speed broadband to areas outside its fiber footprint in the United States. The partnership will focus on bolstering connectivity for business and government customers, while also relying on satellites to connect hard-to-reach cell towers across the country. (9/8)

Starbridge Raises $12.1 Million (Source: Space News)
Starbridge Venture Capital closed a second investment fund with $12.1 million in new capital. Starbridge COO Michael Mealling said the fund will invest in early-stage space sector companies “with some proof of product-market fit.” Spacebridge looks for startups with compelling applications, “very protectable IP” and “the ability to go into the marketplace and say, ‘no one [else] can do this,’” Mealling said at the Satellite 2021 conference. (9/8)

NASA Drought Research Shows Value of Both Climate Mitigation and Adaptation (Source: NASA)
Seasonal summer rains have done little to offset drought conditions gripping the western United States, with California and Nevada seeing record July heat and moderate-to-exceptional drought according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Now, new NASA research is showing how drought in the region is expected to change in the future, providing stakeholders with crucial information for decision making.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal, Earth’s Future, was led by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and funded by NOAA’s Climate Program Office and NASA’s Modeling, Analysis and Prediction (MAP) Program. It found that the western United States is headed for prolonged drought conditions whether greenhouse gas emissions continue to climb or are aggressively reined in. (9/8)

Envisioning A World Of Space People (Source: Air & Space)
Motivated by a belief that solving big problems leads to innovations that make life better for humanity, Kathryn Lueders has spent over the last decade of her career revolutionizing NASA’s approach to human space exploration. Tune in as Lueders, associate administrator of NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, discusses what is next for humans in space.

She will share her insight into making space more broadly accessible and her experiences on the forefront of a growing space economy. From the International Space Station, our current home in space, to the future of spaceflight where we are living on other worlds, there are many accomplishments to celebrate, lessons to learn, and big moments to look forward to on the horizon. Whether a contributor to or beneficiary of space exploration, we all have a stake in this global endeavor. Click here. (9/8)

Pandemic, Changing Industry Affecting Satellite Manufacturer Supply Chains (Source: Space News)
The pandemic and resulting supply chain issues have forced satellite manufacturers to adopt new approaches, some of which they plan to maintain in a post-pandemic world. Shortages of chips and other electronics have had wide-ranging effects on the economy, affecting sectors from consumer electronics to automobiles.

Space systems have also felt the effects of those supply chain disruptions, manufacturers said during a panel discussion at the Satellite 2021 conference here Sep. 8. Those companies say they have little influence with suppliers based on demand alone. “Space is dwarfed, in terms of volume, compared to the car industry or anything else,” said Jean Marc Nasr, executive vice president and head of space systems at Airbus. (9/8)

Rocket Lab Wins Multi-Launch Deal for IoT Constellation (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab will deploy an entire constellation of internet-of-things satellites for a French startup under a multi-launch deal announced Sep. 8. Rocket Lab said it will launch 25 satellites for Kinéis over five dedicated launches starting in the second quarter of 2023. The satellites will provide improved global IoT connectivity services for the company, which is backed by private investors and the French space agency CNES, and which raised 100 million euros in early 2020 to develop the constellation. (9/8)

Swissto12 and Saturn Collaborate on Small GEO Satellites (Source: Space News)
Switzerland-based additive manufacturing specialist Swissto12 announced plans Sept. 8 to collaborate with Saturn Satellite Networks, a U.S. firm focused on small geostationary satellite missions, to market small geostationary telecommunications satellite missions. Under the agreement, the companies will pair Swissto12’s flexible communications payload with three Saturn satellite buses: MicroGEO, Intelligent Space Node (ISN) and Nationsat.

SWISSto12 will market geostationary telecommunications satellites based on Saturn’s MicroGEO, which provides payload power of approximately 2,000 kilowatts. Saturn will market geostationary telecommunications and high throughput satellites based on ISN and Nationsat, which are designed to offer power of approximately 5,000-kilowatts. (9/8)