Federal and commercial officials involved with the planned launch of the Artemis I mission’s Space Launch System said the next attempt is scheduled for Nov. 14 with backup dates of Nov. 16 and Nov. 19. At a recent symposium panel, the officials explained that the launch window runs from Nov. 12 to Nov. 27, but […]
NASA and the European Space Agency have agreed to build a tube depot on Mars that will serve as a backup and house a duplicate set of the Perseverance rover’s igneous and sedimentary rock sample collection. The agencies plan to set up the depot at Three Forks in Jezero Crater where an ancient river delta […]
Five commercial firms have won contracts with the Defense Innovation Unit to prototype weather modeling capabilities in support of the 557th Weather Wing, the U.S. Air Force’s lead meteorology center. According to DIU, the companies are tasked with integrating their respective interfaces with the Weather Virtual Private Cloud, adding that the commercial data will be […]
Senate lawmakers have proposed space-focused amendments to the chamber’s version of the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The recommended changes aim to achieve sustainable use of outer space and establish international norms, rules and principles applicable to space. Challenges and risks posed by space activities have prompted U.S. agencies and lawmakers to seek […]
The Department of Defense has released an unclassified version of the U.S. national defense strategy, which includes warnings on space systems security. Defense Secretary and 2022 Wash100 winner Lloyd Austin said in the introduction to the strategy that China and other adversaries will likely target Washington’s satellites to affect the military’s access to critical services. […]
The director of the Space Development Agency said Starlink’s resilience against potential Russian threats speaks to the overall power of a proliferated constellation. Speaking at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event on Tuesday, Derek Tournear shared that Russia has yet to shoot down a Starlink satellite despite having demonstrated an ability to strike objects […]
Space Systems Command held a contest on Oct. 12 to source solutions from U.S. Space Force Guardians that might improve operational processes and warfighting capabilities. During the Fight Tonight competition at Los Angeles Air Force Base, 21 teams presented proposals that encompassed upgrades to electronic equipment and navigation systems as well as new training opportunities. […]
Lucy, a NASA spacecraft deployed to study the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, captured an image of the Earth from a distance of 380,000 miles on Oct. 15 as part of an instrument calibration process. The black and white photo taken using Lucy’s Terminal Tracking Camera system showed Earth as a small marble world with dark space […]
NASA has formed an independent team of 16 experts to undertake a nine-month foundational study on unidentified aerial phenomena, which are observations or events in the sky that do not correspond with known aircraft or natural occurrences. The group will determine analysis methods for data gathered by civilian, government and commercial entities and outline a […]
A United Launch Alliance rocket will launch the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Joint Polar Satellite System-2 mission on Nov. 1 from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. According to NOAA, the JPSS-2 spacecraft will deliver more accurate forecasts of extreme weather events and help monitor climate change. The satellite […]
