NASA is set to test laser-based data transfer capabilities during the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration activity in the fall. Key components of the tech testing are two ground-based facilities at two separate locations on Earth. The LCRD mission will involve two Optical Ground Stations: one in Table Mountain, California, and another in Haleakala, Hawaii. NASA […]
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has deployed a combination of aircraft, maritime vessels and various types of robots to study small ocean whirlpools, eddies and currents. The space agency launched its Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment to understand the role these ocean processes play in vertical transport: the movement of heat, nutrients, oxygen, and carbon […]
Firefly Aerospace is set to begin the construction of its Blue Ghost lunar lander following a successful critical design review. The Texas-based company is building Blue Ghost to fulfill requirements under a $93.3 million Commercial Lunar Payload Services contract that it received from NASA. The vehicle is scheduled to touch down on the Moon’s Mare […]
United Launch Alliance is planning to launch the U.S. Space Force’s Space Test Program-3 mission on Nov. 22 after its June launch date was scrubbed due to technical issues. The STP-3 payload will be loaded onto an Atlas 5 551 rocket. The STP-3 mission was scheduled for launch on June 23 at Cape Canaveral Space […]
L3Harris Technologies has secured a $120.7 million contract from the U.S. Space Force for Counter Communications Systems Block 10.2 upgrades. The hardware is a ground-based jammer that blocks adversaries’ satellite transmissions. Under the contract, L3Harris will work on 16 units located at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, Cape […]
NASA plans on launching the Artemis 1 vehicle no earlier than February 2022. Mike Sarafin, Artemis 1 mission manager at NASA Headquarters, told reporters that the first launch window is set between Feb. 12 and 27, with additional launch opportunities slated from March 12 to 27 and from April 8 to 23. Critical to NASA’s […]
Rhea Space Activity has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract to advance the U.S. Air Force’s space domain awareness effort. Administered through the AFWERX program, the contract calls for the development of an enhanced lunar intelligence dashboard and other capabilities that will inform USAF’s operational needs, RSA said. The company previously […]
Blue Canyon Technologies has delivered the first 6U cube satellites to NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. The CubeSats will be used to support Starling, an activity that would test technologies that would allow for autonomous spacecraft automation. The hardware delivery is part of a NASA contract that requires Blue Canyon to design and manufacture […]
The U.S. Space Force is seeking industry’s input on the feasibility of putting low-cost space domain awareness sensors in orbit as hosted payloads. In a request for information published Thursday, the newest military service said its ultimate aim is to augment the existing Space Surveillance Network and support the Combined Space Operations Center and the […]
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has begun the process of procuring commercial space services to fly its astronauts to the International Space Station, as part of efforts to extend the orbital facility’s usefulness. On Wednesday, the agency issued a request for information asking private space companies about their abilities to ferry personnel to and […]
