The Space Development Agency has issued a request for information to gauge industry’s ability to provide the full suite of capabilities for Tranche 1 Transport Layer space vehicles. The spacecraft will be part of the planned multilayer National Defense Space Architecture. Responses to the RFI are due April 23. According to the document, SDA wants […]
The Department of Defense has selected three prime contractors to help demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion system above low Earth orbit by 2025. General Atomics, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin will participate in the first phase of the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations program, the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency said. DARPA believes that […]
Astrobotic has selected SpaceX to launch its Griffin lunar lander, which will carry a NASA lunar rover in 2023. In an April 13 announcement, Astrobotic said it signed a contract with SpaceX to use the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle for the Griffin Mission 1 lunar lander mission. The mission will send NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar […]
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Phase Four, a space technology company, with a contract for its propellant-agnostic Maxwell thruster. Maxwell is a turn-key electric propulsion solution designed for small satellites, according to Phase Four’s product page. The system includes the company’s radio-frequency thruster, power electronics and flight software. Under the terms of the contract, […]
The Biden administration seeks $24.7 billion in discretionary funding to help NASA achieve its space priorities. President Joe Biden’s discretionary funding request for fiscal year 2022 includes an additional $6.9 billion in funding for NASA in support of human explorations of the Moon, Mars and beyond. The funding request also calls for more federal investment […]
The Space Force Association, together with consulting firm LMI, has established a center of excellence dedicated to fostering collaboration and enriching knowledge across the space domain. The Space COE was launched to promote research and development initiatives focused on Space Force capabilities between academia, industry and the government. It also aims to enhance the discovery […]
ICF has been awarded $33.87 million in work to support the U.S. Global Change Research Program, a federal effort to conduct research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. The company received a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract worth $25.87 million and an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity component with a maximum value of $8 million, NASA said […]
The U.S. Space Force is looking to stand up a new Space Systems Command in the summer to take over the responsibilities of the Space and Missile Systems Center. The command will be based at the Los Angeles Air Force Base and oversee the development, acquisition, fielding and sustainment of space capabilities. Once operational, SSC […]
The Intelligence Community expects China to become the United States’ most significant rival in the space sector by 2040. In a new Global Trends report, the National Intelligence Council said China will likely pursue homegrown space technologies independent of those developed by the United States and Europe. China is expected to lead space activities in […]
Jacobs has announced a successful on-orbit performance of its Mango One satellite, which was launched in January aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter One rideshare mission. Mango One completed payload checkout and performed radio-frequency survey missions using active electronically scanned arrays and advanced RF payload control electronics, Jacobs said Tuesday. Jacobs said the on-orbit performance […]
