The University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics will build a cubesat for NASA to support the James Webb Space Telescope’s exploration of exoplanet atmospheres. LASP will develop the satellite under the space agency’s mission, titled “Monitoring Activity from Nearby Stars with UV Imaging and Spectroscopy,” to observe and measure the ultraviolet […]
NASA has awarded a Group Achievement Award to the Raytheon Technologies team that contributed to the development of the James Webb Space Telescope Flight Operations Subsystem, which started operating on Dec. 25, 2022. The subsystem enables command and control, telemetry analysis, ground contact scheduling, observation plan management, and data retrieval for astronomers and the scientific […]
NASA has selected seven companies to advance key commercial space-related missions under the Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities-2 initiative. Under CCSC-2, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, Sierra Space, SpaceX, Special Aerospace Services, ThinkOrbital and Vast Space will execute their respective missions. They will work on commercial space transportation, autonomy and robotics, low-Earth orbit ecosystems and infrastructure, […]
A SpaceX rideshare mission has launched dozens of payloads into a sun-synchronous orbit, including three Blue Canyon Technologies-built research and development satellites for the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program. The deployment of two Modular Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance imaging cubesats and the XVI military communications spacecraft marked STP’s 306th mission, dubbed STP-CR2301, designed to […]
NASA has delivered the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System, a laser communications terminal designed to improve data reception and delivery for future space missions, to the Kennedy Space Center. NASA will test the O2O laser during Artemis II, slated for November 2024. According to O2O project manager Steve Horowitz, the laser is designed to […]
A U.S. Space Force plan to create a commercial space reserve is seeing increasing support from the Pentagon. Commercial satellite operators that will join the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserves should prioritize providing satellite services, including satellite communication and remote sensing, to the U.S. government during national security emergencies. According to Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, the […]
The Department of State has published a framework to ensure its efforts focused on space policy and space diplomacy correspond with national space policy and the 2021 Space Priorities Framework. According to Jennifer Littlejohn, acting assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs, the new framework focuses on coordinating existing efforts […]
The deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber and nuclear at the U.S. Space Force said in an interview that other countries want to work with the United States on defending space-based technologies and systems. According to Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, allied European countries are increasingly investing in space defense systems and are developing […]
NASA has awarded PickNik Robotics two Small Business Innovation Research contracts focused on advancing autonomous robotic systems. Under the first SBIR award, the company will develop software that can detect and report issues with autonomous robotic systems NASA uses to maintain spaceflight hardware. The tool will enable operators to resolve system failures remotely in real […]
Science Applications International Corp. has received a $64 million contract from the Space Development Agency to develop the Battle Management Command, Control and Communications Application Factory, a cloud-based software delivery system for the satellites that make up the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. PWSA is SDA’s low-Earth orbit constellation aimed at facilitating communications and decision-making. It […]
