L3Harris’ infrared sensor satellite for a future U.S. military constellation has passed a preliminary review, enabling the defense contractor to participate in the U.S. Space Force’s Medium Earth Orbit Missile Warning and Tracking program. On Monday, Paul Wloszek, L3Harris’ general manager for missile defense, said that completing the review allows the program to remain on […]
The House and Senate budget committees have approved a $24.875 billion 2024 NASA spending bill, down 2 percent from the 2023 budget and 8.5 percent less than the agency’s proposed $27.185 billion appropriation for 2024. The congressional appropriations bill shelved funding decision on NASA’s Mars Sample Return program, as the agency is reexamining the MSR […]
U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of the U.S. Space Command and a 2024 Wash100 winner, told lawmakers on Thursday that space assets face near-term risks as China and Russia develop anti-satellite weaponry. Speaking at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, he warned that space has become a contested warfighting domain because of the […]
NASA has scrapped its On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing 1 mission because of delays and cost overruns, as well as rapid developments in orbital technologies. According to NASA, changes to the costs, schedule and technical requirements, as well as an ongoing development across the space sector, meant that resources could not be dedicated to OSAM-1. […]
NASA and Intuitive Machines deemed the IM-1 mission an “unqualified success,” noting that the Odysseus Nova-C lander, launched on Feb. 15, was able to meet its objectives. Speaking at a recent press conference, Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus and Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said Odysseus made a […]
NASA and Nikon have entered into a Space Act Agreement partnership to develop a camera that will be used for the Artemis III lunar mission. Under the agreement, NASA and Nikon will work on the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera, a space-grade camera that can withstand lunar environments. The HULC comprises a modified Nikon Z 9 […]
A 10-day qualification testing of the SpaceX Starship Human Landing System’s docking system was recently performed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center to ensure the safety of astronauts who will fly to the moon during the Artemis III mission. The Starship is designed to dock with the lunar Gateway space station, where the spacecraft will wait […]
The U.S. Space Systems Command has selected BAE Systems to create a prototype ground system under the first phase of the U.S. Space Force’s SSC Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution Command and Control project. BAE will use its existing capabilities to create a system that allows the Space Force to provide C2 capabilities for Next-Generation […]
The commander of the U.S. Space Operations Command said the U.S. Space Force will rely more on the private sector for space domain awareness support. According to Lt. Gen. David Miller, commercially operated satellites can provide critical capabilities such as delivering space tracking data and analytics and transforming raw data into actionable intelligence. He noted, […]
The U.S. Space Force is planning to expand a pilot program designed to test a new unit integration model that puts operations, sustainment and acquisition under a single command. Implementation of the Integrated Mission Delta concept is ongoing within two Space Force mission areas, namely positioning, navigation and timing and electronic warfare. Citing the efficiency […]
