Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, said that collaboration is underway with NASA, the U.S. Space Force, and other organizations to build a lunar geodetic system, a GPS-like capability for the moon. He explained that such efforts are part of his NGA’s goal to support military and civil space operations. During […]
Leesburg, Virginia-based Quantum Computing Inc. secured a follow-on task order on Feb. 8 to continue supporting NASA’s remote sensing and climate change monitoring efforts. Under the task order, QCI will test its QLiDAR quantum photonic system for remote sensing applications and process satellite images using its photonic-based reservoir computing technology. Specifically, QCI will run data […]
NASA has awarded a total of $98 million in Small Business Innovation Research Phase II funds to 112 proposals from 92 companies developing space exploration and climate research technologies. Each grantee was given $850,000 and 24 months to execute their respective projects. Jenn Gustetic, director of early-stage innovation and partnerships at NASA’s Space Technology Mission […]
Washington-based aerospace company Blue Origin has secured a $3.4 billion NASA contract to build a human landing system for Artemis V, an upcoming crewed moon mission aimed at demonstrating exploration capabilities and setting up the support systems for recurring missions. The company’s Blue Moon lander will be developed and tested for compliance with requirements for […]
The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore will continue providing support services for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope science operations under a $166.24 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract extension award from NASA. AURA/STScI will support the telescope’s development, integration, testing, launch and commissioning. It will also perform science observation […]
The U.S. Space Force has awarded orbital logistics and space mining company TransAstra Corp. a phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research contract to explore new use cases for its Omnivore propulsion technology. Under the SBIR award, TransAstra will explore government and commercial use cases for the propulsion system. The Omnivore thruster uses solar reflectors to […]
Two House lawmakers have introduced a bill seeking the creation of a Space National Guard under the U.S. Space Force and moving space professionals from the U.S. Air Force’s Air National Guard units to the new component. Reps. Jason Crow and Doug Lamborn introduced the Space National Guard Establishment Act after similar legislation passed the […]
The chief of the U.S. Space Command said the U.S. military should invest in space-based technologies to stay abreast with new technologies and capabilities. Speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual LANPAC conference, Gen. James Dickinson, who spoke at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2nd Annual Industrial Space Defense Summit in May 2022, said […]
Japan will launch navigation satellites carrying U.S. Space Force payloads designed for improving space domain awareness capabilities. MIT Lincoln Laboratories developed the optical sensor payloads, which were already delivered to Japan for integration into the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System’s QZS-6 and QZ-7 spacecraft. The satellites were expected to be deployed in 2024 but the liftoff is […]
Propulsion system problems have forced NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to end its Lunar Flashlight mission. The Lunar Flashlight cubesat was launched as a rideshare payload on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December 2022 to map ice in permanently shadowed regions near the moon’s south pole. The satellite, however, failed to reach the moon’s […]
