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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The U.S. Space Force has opened a new laboratory that would serve as an accelerator for space domain awareness technology prototypes designed to protect space assets in geosynchronous Earth orbit from anti-satellite weapons. The Space Domain Awareness Technology, Applications and Process laboratory aims to increase collaboration between the industry, government and academia to speed up […]
The U.S. Space Systems Command has allocated 11 launch service missions to United Launch Alliance and 10 more such missions to SpaceX under the fiscal year 2024 National Security Space Launch Phase 2 Launch Service Procurement contract. According to the SSC, the ULA launch contracts include several missions for the U.S. Space Force and the […]
Northrop Grumman announced that it has secured a potential $732 million contract from the Space Development Agency to design and build Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Alpha satellites. Northrop will provide 38 data transport satellites, as well as ground elements and five years of operations and sustainment, slated for launch in December 2026. The Transport Layer, a […]
