NASA sent supplies, science experiments and technology demonstrations to the International Space Station on Thursday. SpaceX helped launch the 29th Commercial Resupply Services mission, carrying an estimated 6,500 pounds of cargo, using the uncrewed Dragon spacecraft, NASA said. NASA’s Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low-Earth-Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal is one of the technologies […]
Frank Calvelli, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, affirmed at Aviation Week’s Aerospace & Defense Programs conference his commitment to space technology acquisition reforms he introduced in 2022. The procurement chief’s confidence comes after industry stakeholders extended support and aligned operations to his vision. In an October 2022 memo, […]
The Space Development Agency is soliciting industry feedback on optical communications waveforms to inform how the agency will integrate them into the third and future transport layer tranches of the Proliferated Warfighter Defense Architecture. According to the SDA, it plans to commence planning for the Tranche 3 Transport Layer in fiscal year 2024, with satellite […]
Northrop Grumman has completed thermal vacuum tests for a two-satellite constellation designed to enable broadband communications in the northern polar region. According to Northrop, the first of two Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission satellites underwent vibration testing, with another test to follow for the second satellite. ASBM is a two-satellite constellation carrying Ka-band payloads for Viasat, […]
NASA now expects to award at least one contract for the development of a lunar rover for the Artemis program on March 31, 2024, four months later than the original plan. The rover called the Lunar Terrain Vehicle will be developed to land astronauts on the moon during future Artemis missions, starting with the program’s […]
Planet Labs PBC has concluded an inter-satellite communications link test that started in late August under NASA’s Communications Services Project. The test, done in partnership with SES Space & Defense, validated the data rates, latency and other capabilities of Planet’s radio and antenna design. The components are meant to support last-minute tasking capabilities and other […]
The International Space Station could operate beyond 2030, depending on the readiness of commercial space stations under development with support from the space agency, according to a NASA official. At the Beyond Earth Symposium, Ken Bowersox, NASA associate administrator for space operations, explained that the ISS retirement in 2030 is not required and the transition […]
Massachusetts-based startup SpaceRake has won a two-year, $1.8 million direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Space Development Agency to develop small laser communications terminals for satellites. The terminals would allow cube satellites and other satellites to transfer data using the SDA’s Transport Layer global communications network. Weston Marlow, president and CEO of […]
Two Republican House lawmakers have introduced a bill that would spin off the Office of Space Commerce as its own entity within the Department of Commerce. The office currently serves as a unit within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a bureau of the Commerce Department. The Commercial Space Act of 2023, authored by House […]
Space exploration and infrastructure company Intuitive Machines announced that it has secured the Joint Energy Technology Supplying On-Orbit Nuclear Power Low-Power Mission Application contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to enhance the capabilities of NASA’s Gateway lunar outpost. The company will leverage its prior work in the field and implement an integrated architecture to […]
