September 25, 2024

T-Mobile Finally Confirms What We Have Been Fearing About its Starlink-Powered Service (Source: Phone Arena)
T-Mobile and SpaceX are no longer confident about a 2024 launch for their satellite-based texting service. The two joined forces in 2022 with a vision to blanket dead zones - areas without cellular signals - with coverage using SpaceX’s Starlink satellites and T-Mobile's wireless network. T-Mobile's CEO Mike Sievert said in a recent interview that while the company's plan to launch a beta program of the direct-satellite-to-cellular service is still on track, it might not kick off until early next year.

Previously, the companies were targeting the fall for deployment. It's not clear what's causing the delay, but there are a couple of theories. Firstly, as PCMag notes, SpaceX had previously said it would need 325 Direct to Cell satellites to launch the service, and as of September 17, the company had 175 direct-to-smartphone satellites in low-earth orbit. The other possibility is that SpaceX might need some more time to convince the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to relax its current out-of-band power flux-density (“PFD”) limit of -120 dBW/m2 /MHz, which rivals like AT&T and Verizon say would interfere with their operations. (9/20)

China's Astronauts Conduct Emergency Drills and Deploy Payloads Into Space (Source: Space.com)
Life remains busy in orbit for China's astronauts with a range of drills, maintenance and experiments to carry out. The Shenzhou 18 crew — Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu — currently aboard the Tiangong space station recently went through a depressurization drill, as seen in new footage released by China's human spaceflight agency on Sep. 15. The footage shows the three astronauts donning masks attached to air bottles before apparently seeking for the source of a simulated leak. The trio, who have been aboard the Tiangong space station since late April, conducted a similar drill in July with a simulated debris strike and decompression event. (9/23)

SpaceX Recovers Starship Flight 4 Booster From Ocean (Source: WCCF Tech)
After its recovery ships were spotted near the splashdown zone of the Super Heavy booster for the fourth Starship test flight last week, SpaceX has recovered pieces of the rocket from the ocean.

It's likely that SpaceX has recovered the booster to prepare itself for future Starship flights as it plans to attempt a tower catch attempt on Flight 5. Apart from the tower catch, Flight 5 will also jettison the inter stage ring at a different location, the reason for which is unclear. Additionally, while SpaceX will attempt a tower catch with the booster, it will wait for more successful soft splashdowns of the Starship second stage before returning it to the launch site. (9/23)

France Uses Space Lasers to Communicate with Satellite From Ground (Source: Interesting Engineering)
France has announced the successful establishment of a stable laser link which constituted a world first in high-speed optical satellite communications between a nano-satellite in low orbit and a commercial optical ground station. The experiment started towards the end of 2023 with the launch of the Keraunos satellite by the French Defense Innovation Agency (AID), part of the French armament directorate (DGA), and two French New Space companies, Unseenlabs and Cailabs. (9/24)

Northrop Completes Demo for Air Force Lab Global Lightning (Source: Defense Scoop)
Northrop Grumman completed its first demonstration for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet program, also known as Global Lightning. In this test, the company connected its hybrid satellite communications terminals to two commercial satellite systems, one in low-Earth orbit and the other in geosynchronous orbit. (9/24)

Viasat Advances Military Aircraft-Commercial Sat Links (Source: Space News)
Viasat won an Air Force Research Lab contract to provide advanced satellite communications antennas for military aircraft. The $33.6 million contract, announced by the company Tuesday, is part of the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program, which seeks to integrate commercial space internet constellations into military satellite networks. Viasat will focus on the development of Active Electronically Scanned Array antennas for tactical aircraft, including rotary-wing platforms. (9/24)

New Search Begins For Alien ‘Super Civilizations’ In 2,800 Galaxies (Source: Forbes)
Astronomers have begun a first-of-its-kind search for signs of “technosignatures” produced by super civilizations—those more advanced than ours—in galaxies beyond the Milky Way. Technosignatures are evidence of past or present technology that would, if found, indirectly confirm the presence of life in another star system. Technosignatures could include city lights, solar panels, megastructures and swarms of satellites. (9/21)

China Launches Eight Satellites Using Smart Dragon 3 Rocket (Source: Space Daily)
On Tuesday morning, China launched a Smart Dragon 3 carrier rocket from the coast of Haiyang in Shandong province, successfully deploying eight satellites into space. According to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the satellites were placed into their designated orbital positions shortly after the rocket's launch at 10:31 am from a launch service ship. This marks the fourth sea-based launch for the Smart Dragon 3 model. (9/25)

New Glenn Second Stage Completes Successful Hotfire Test Ahead of November Launch (Source: Space Daily)
Blue Origin's New Glenn second stage (GS2) successfully completed a critical hotfire test Tuesday, marking a key step toward its first flight, set for November from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 36. The NG-1 mission will carry Blue Ring technology as its first payload.

The 15-second hotfire test was the first time the vehicle operated as a fully integrated system. This test was conducted to ensure the proper interaction of subsystems on the second stage, including its two BE-3U engines and the ground control systems.

The test also demonstrated three essential systems: the tank pressurization control system, which uses helium to pressurize the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks; the thrust vector control system, which steers the rocket using engine gimbaling; and the start-up and shutdown sequences of the BE-3U engines, which can be restarted multiple times during a mission. (9/25)

Nuclear Strategies Tested at Sandia Could Avert Asteroid Disaster (Source: Space Daily)
Sandia National Laboratories is exploring a coordinated nuclear response to deflect potentially catastrophic asteroids, according to physicist Nathan Moore. His team is using Sandia's Z machine-the world's most powerful pulsed-power facility-to simulate asteroid deflection scenarios and gather critical data on how asteroids of different compositions respond to such methods. (9/25)

FAA Defends Launch Licensing (Source: Space News)
The head of the FAA defended fines and launch licensing delays involving SpaceX Tuesday, citing safety. During a hearing of the aviation subcommittee of the House Transportation Committee, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said fines the agency levied against SpaceX last week for violating terms of launch licenses last year were justified because of safety concerns.

He added delays in updating the license for the next Starship flight were also based on safety issues like the impact of sonic booms from the returning Super Heavy booster. He added that "complying with the regulations would be the best path" for SpaceX to accelerate the licensing process. In a letter later in the day, SpaceX criticized Whitaker's comments, citing factual errors. "In fact, every statement he made was incorrect," the company claimed. (9/25)

Space Force Proceeds With Caution on Weather Satellite Replacement (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is proceeding cautiously with its plans to replace aging weather satellites. The program executive for sensor satellites at Space Systems Command told reporters that the service will first analyze data from current and future experimental satellites before deciding what satellites might replace a decades-old system known as the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). The service plans to make "architectural-level decisions" before proceeding with procuring specific satellite systems despite the age of the DMSP system. (9/25)

China Plans Asteroid Sample Mission in 2025 (Source: Space News)
China will launch the Tianwen-2 mission to collect samples from a near Earth asteroid next year.  Bian Zhigang, deputy head of the China National Space Administration, said Tuesday that the mission is scheduled to launch next year and travel to the asteroid 2016 HO3 Kamo'oalewa. The spacecraft will return samples to Earth and perform a gravity-assist flyby to send it to the comet 311P/PANSTARRS. While a precise launch schedule was not provided, previous indications suggest Tianwen-2 will launch on a Long March 3B rocket in May 2025. (9/25)

Planet Offers Global Forest Monitoring (Source: Space News)
Earth observation company Planet unveiled a product Tuesday for monitoring global forests. The Forest Carbon Monitoring product offers quarterly estimates of the amount of carbon stored in branches, leaves and other plant tissue above ground at a resolution of three meters per pixel. Planet believes the product "will underpin global carbon markets" and could be useful for efforts like upcoming European Union regulations that require companies to ensure that their products don’t come from land that was deforested after Dec. 31, 2020. (9/25)

Hurricane Delays ISS Crew Launch From Florida (Source: Florida Today)
A developing hurricane will delay the launch of the next crew to the International Space Station. NASA said Tuesday it delayed the Crew-9 launch by two days, to Saturday at 1:17 p.m. Eastern, to avoid the effects of Tropical Storm Helene, which is expected to strengthen to a major hurricane before making landfall in northern Florida. Tropical storm warnings are in effect along the Atlantic coast of Florida. The Crew-9 mission will send NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov to the ISS on a Crew Dragon spacecraft. (9/25)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites From California (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX launched another set of Starlink satellites overnight. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Wednesday carrying 20 Starlink satellites. The satellites were deployed into orbit about an hour later. The 20 satellites included 13 with direct-to-cell payloads. (9/25)

Radian Performs Spaceplane Prototype Test in Abu Dhabi (Source: Space News)
Radian Aerospace has performed the first tests of a prototype of its proposed orbital spaceplane. The company said Wednesday that it performed taxi tests and "short hops" of its PFV01 vehicle at an airfield in Abu Dhabi. The tests were intended to study the handling characteristics of the aircraft and compare them to models. The company is working on a spaceplane called Radian One that would be able to take off and land horizontally and transport people and cargo to low Earth orbit. (9/25)

Maxar Creates London headquarters (Source: Space News)
Maxar Intelligence has created a headquarters for its international government business in London. The Colorado-based company said Tuesday the London office will help it capitalize on growing global demand for geospatial intelligence. Maxar cited the U.K.’s commitment to advanced space capabilities as a key factor in choosing London for the international headquarters. (9/25)

Microgravity Weakens Hearts (Source: Nature)
Absence from gravity makes the heart grow weaker. Research published this week found that the human heart experienced changes that resemble aging after just a month in space. Scientists used "tissue-on-a-chip" technology to study heart tissue and mimic beating patterns, finding over the course of the month-long experiment on the ISS that the tissue got weaker and experienced molecular and genetic changes. The tissue returned to normal after returning to Earth. (9/25)