August 10, 2022

Unexpected Solar Wind Stream Hits Earth at 372 Miles Per Second (Source: Science Alert)
On Sunday, Earth's magnetic field was pelted by a solar wind stream reaching velocities of more than 600 kilometers (372 miles) per second. While that's nothing too alarming – solar storms often pummel our planet triggering spectacular auroras – what is weird is that this storm was totally unexpected. "This event was not in the forecast, so the resulting auroras came as a surprise," SpaceWeather reported. (8/9)

NASA, Private Companies Count on Market Demand for Future Space Stations After ISS (Source: Space.com)
Senior officials from companies selected by NASA to develop new low Earth orbit space stations are eager for market input to drive development. Space industry leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. last week for NASA's 11th annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC). A panel in the morning of July 26 included top representatives from four companies selected by NASA to design and develop commercial space stations in low Earth orbit (LEO).

About 20% of JSC's current workforce is utilized to run the ISS, with another 15% working on commercial crew, according to JSC Director Vanessa Wyche. With such a heavy weight of its focus on ISS, NASA decided to lean into its commercial contract model, and selected private companies to design and develop replacement space stations for the agency's aging orbital laboratory. This not only opens the door for a wider array of commercial accessibility to LEO, but also frees up some of NASA's resources for the space agency's shifting focus to interplanetary exploration through the Artemis program and beyond. (8/7)

Blue Canyon to Develop Satellites for Tomorro.io Weather Constellation (Source: Space News)
Blue Canyon Technologies won its largest constellation order to date, a contract with weather technology company Tomorrow.io. Blue Canyon, a Raytheon subsidiary, announced Tuesday it will provide products and services for 18 Tomorrow.io cubesats, including satellite buses and payloads, as well as testing and prelaunch operations. Tomorrow.io will use the satellites to collect radar and microwave observations to feed weather models by the end of 2024. (8/10)

Maxar to Develop 14 Satellites for L3Harris Missile Detection Constellation (Source: Space News)
Maxar won a contract from L3Harris to manufacture 14 missile-detection satellites for the U.S. Space Development Agency's Tracking Layer Tranche 1. Maxar said Tuesday it will supply satellite buses and provide support services as a subcontractor to L3Harris, which received a $700 million SDA contract last month. The contract with L3Harris also covers the integration of mission payloads, including optical terminals for mesh networking, Ka-band communications and infrared sensors. The satellites will be completed in 2024 for launch starting in April 2025. The companies did not disclose the value of the Maxar contract. (8/10)

Space Congestion Straining Space Command Orbital Tracking (Source: Space News)
A growing amount of satellites and debris in orbit is adding to the workload of U.S. Space Command. Gen. James Dickinson, head of Space Command, said the increase in debris in particular is "very concerning," noting the number of objects tracked by Space Command has nearly doubled from 25,000 in 2019 to 47,000 today. Dickinson said only about 100 Space Force guardians support space tracking, and they're under strain. He said the command is ready to start handing over space traffic management duties to the Department of Commerce as soon as possible. (8/10)

NASA Announces New CubeSat Launch Initiative Partnership Opportunities (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has announced a new round of opportunities through the agency's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) for CubeSat developers, including educational institutions, to conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations in space and contribute to the agency's exploration goals. With a renewed emphasis on education, the next round of NASA's CSLI opportunities is providing access to low-Earth orbit for U.S. educational institutions, nonprofits with an education or outreach component, and NASA centers and programs for workforce development. Developers can gain hands-on experience designing, building, and operating these small research satellites. (8/10)

NASA's Moon-Observing CubeSat Ready for Launch (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's water-scouting CubeSat is now poised to hitch a ride to lunar orbit. Not much bigger than a shoe box, Lunar IceCube's data will have an outsized impact on lunar science. The satellite is integrated into the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and ready to journey to the Moon as part of the uncrewed Artemis I mission, launching this year. Orbiting the Moon, Lunar IceCube will use a spectrometer to investigate lunar ice. Earlier missions revealed water ice on the Moon, but Lunar IceCube will further NASA's knowledge about lunar ice dynamics. (8/9)

Russian ASAT Debris Surging Starlink Conjunctions (Source: Space News)
Debris from a Russian ASAT test last year is now affecting SpaceX's Starlink constellation. A "conjunction squall" last Saturday resulted in more than 6,000 close approaches of debris from that test with Starlink satellites. SpaceX has started launching Starlink satellites into polar orbits that can line up with debris from that test, causing surges in conjunctions also seen earlier this year with other satellites in sun-synchronous orbits. SpaceX said it performed nearly 7,000 collision avoidance maneuvers from December 2021 to May 2022, of which 1,700 were linked to ASAT debris. (8/10)

SpaceX Launches More Starlink Satellites From Florida, Recovers Booster (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink satellites Tuesday night. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 10:14 p.m. Eastern and placed 52 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was delayed from earlier in the evening because of weather. SpaceX has launched more than 3,000 Starlink satellites, of which more than 2,600 are in orbit and functioning. (8/10)

Terran Orbital Prioritizing Production of Satellites for Lockheed Martin DoD Constellation (Source: Space News)
Terran Orbital said it is prioritizing work for the SDA over its own radar constellation. The company announced Tuesday a 127% increase in revenues in the second quarter over a year ago, but also a much larger loss as it scales up satellite production. The company says its near-term focus is completing 10 satellite buses for Lockheed Martin's Transport Layer Tranche 0 contract and starting work on an additional 42 for Tranche 1. Terran Orbit expects to launch the first two of its PredaSAR satellites in the first half of next year but added its plans for the 96-satellite constellation are "evolving." (8/10)

D-Orbit to Transport 20 Satellites for Astrocast (Source: Space News)
D-Orbit said Tuesday it would launch 20 nanosatellites over three years for Swiss startup Astrocast with its orbital transfer vehicle. The first mission under their agreement is slated for no sooner than November 2022 on a SpaceX Falcon 9, which will launch D-Orbit's ION Satellite Carrier with four Astrocast satellites onboard. The contract is part of Astrocast's plans to grow its constellation from 12 satellites to 40 satellites in 2023 and 100 by 2025, providing internet-of-things services. (8/10)

SpaceX: Demand Strong for Rideshare Missions (Source: Space News)
SpaceX says there is still strong demand for its rideshare services. The company said Tuesday its Transporter dedicated rideshare missions are fully booked through 2023 and filling up in 2024, but it added that shifting manifests often allow last-minute customers to find a ride. SpaceX has "several hundred" payloads manifested on Transporter missions and other launches able to accommodate rideshare payloads. The company is also considering how it can host rideshare payloads on Starship missions. (8/10)

UK Regulator Looking at Viasat/Inmarsat Deal (Source: Times of London)
A UK regulator is investigating Viasat's planned acquisition of Inmarsat. The Competition and Markets Authority said Tuesday that it will study if U.S.-based Viasat's $7.3 billion purchase of U.K.-based Inmarsat would significantly reduce competition. The authority has until Oct. 5 to decide to pursue a more detailed investigation that would delay completion of the deal. (8/10)

China Launches 16 Satellites on Long March 6 (Source: Xinhua)
China launched 16 satellites on a Long March 6 early Wednesday. The rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 12:50 a.m. Eastern, carrying a set of Jilin-1 and Yunyao-1 satellites for Earth observation. (8/10)

Nelson Satisfied with NASA Authorization (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says he's satisfied with a NASA authorization act signed into law Tuesday. President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act, legislation that includes the first NASA authorization act since 2017. Nelson told members of the NASA Advisory Council that, with the bill, "we have basically gotten what we need" in terms of authorities such as extending International Space Station operations until 2030. He said he is hopeful House and Senate appropriators can finalize a fiscal year 2023 spending bill before the end of the year. (8/10)

Final Decision Soon on Space Command HQ Location (Source: Space News)
The head of U.S. Space Command said he expects a final decision to be made relatively soon on where the command will be permanently headquartered. Gen. James Dickinson said Tuesday that a 30-day public comment period on an environmental assessment of locating Space Command at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama and five alternate sites is about to close, after which the Department of the Air Force is expected to make the final decision on where U.S. Space Command goes. The department recommended in January 2021 that Space Command, currently located at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, move to Redstone Arsenal, a move opposed by Colorado lawmakers. (8/10)

Safety Clearance Could Lead Sidus Space to Forego Thrusters for First Satellite (Source: Space News)
Sidus Space says it may launch its first satellite without thrusters. The company's LizzieSat-1 is set to launch to the ISS next year on a cargo spacecraft for later deployment, a process that requires safety clearances for its propulsion system. A company executive said Sidus Space may fly the spacecraft without propulsion if the safety clearance process becomes an issue. LizzieSat-1 is the first of 100 satellites Sidus is planning for a constellation that would initially provide in-orbit testing services. (8/10)

Vaya Space Awarded Multiple Patents for Vortex-Hybrid Engine Technology (Source: Vaya Space)
Vaya Space, the vortex-hybrid engine rocket company and emerging leader in sustainable space access, announced today that the US Patent and Trademark Office has awarded two patents to the Company on its breakthrough vortex-hybrid propulsion technology. Privately held Vaya Space, with operations in both the US and Brazil, has recently emerged as one of the leaders in the space industry and small satellite launch sector. 

The Company took a technology-first and different approach than many of its well-funded competitors, and as such has recently gained credibility from numerous industry leaders through recent agreements with NASA and major satellite customers that have selected Vaya Space as their launch provider for their constellations. (8/9)

CST Signs Agreement with Gilmour Space for Launch of 50kg to LEO (Source: Space Daily)
Commercial Space Technologies Ltd (CST) has signed an agreement with Australian launch provider, Gilmour Space Technologies, to offer a launch capacity of up to 50 kilograms on their Eris Block 1 vehicle. The combination of Gilmour Space's orbital launch services and full CST oversight will offer an affordable launch solution to satellite customers needing access to custom low earth orbits. (8/10)

Telespazio Offering Products to Support Cloud-Based Satellite Ground Control (Source: Space News)
Telespazio is beginning to offer a family of products to help commercial space companies set up a digitized ground segment in the cloud. Under the brand name Ease, Telespazio offers products to help satellite operators control spacecraft and receive telemetry and data, something the Italian company has done for decades for governments and large companies. Telespazio says it is increasingly seeing spaceflight customers who do not want to establish their own ground stations or manage the transfer of data to and from satellites. (8/10)

Busek Expanding for Satellite Thruster Production (Source: Space News)
Satellite propulsion company Busek is preparing to double in size to meet increased demand. The company opened a new facility this summer and plans to hire 15 people to its current 60-person staff. Busek is producing six-kilowatt Hall-effect thrusters for the NASA lunar Gateway Power and Propulsion Element as well as smaller thrusters. (8/10)

NovaWurks Developing Modular Slegos Satellite Concept (Source: Space News)
NovaWurks is emerging from secrecy to talk about its technologies and customers. The company has kept a low profile for several years after it proposed building spacecraft with identical box-shaped modules it calls "Slegos" or "Space Legos." The modules can be arranged as needed to meet customer needs. Early in-orbit demonstrations have led to contracts with companies and government agencies, such as a Space Force project to demonstrate the rapid assembly of spacecraft using Slegos. (8/10)

Aerospace Corp. Developing Network of Optical Satellite Comm Terminals (Source: Space News)
The Aerospace Corp. is developing a network of remotely operated optical communications terminals to support existing and future small satellite missions. Aerospace currently has optical ground stations in Hawaii and New Mexico and is evaluating a third potential site in California. Aerospace says the network offers a cost-efficient ground infrastructure to support laser communications. (8/10)

Atlas Upgrades Ground Station User Interface (Source: Space News)
Ground station operator Atlas Space Operations upgraded its user interface to make it easier for customers to schedule communications with their satellites. Through the new user interface, Atlas shares the data and metrics the company gathers at each ground site for every satellite pass. Atlas revised its user interface to help companies or government agencies without extensive satellite communications experience. (8/10)