A national security mission, dubbed NROL-91, lifted off on Sept. 24 aboard United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The mission deployed a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office to an undisclosed orbit. It marked the 95th Delta flight from Vandenberg Space Force […]
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy discussed during the International Astronautical Congress held in Paris on Sept. 20 the release of a document outlining her agency’s objectives in terms of space exploration. The updated document reflects the input collected from the public and industry during a commenting period and two subsequent workshops for further discussion. The […]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded Spire Global a $9.9 million contract to provide space-based radio occultation for satellite weather data delivery. Spire Global will provide 3,300 near-real-time radio occultation profiles to NOAA per day. The RO data includes atmospheric temperature and related quantities that are used for operational weather models and other […]
NASA is studying an issue with an instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope that was first discovered on Aug. 24. NASA said in an announcement on Tuesday that one of the four observing modules on JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument is experiencing increased friction. The problem affects medium-resolution spectroscopy observations. A team was assembled to investigate […]
The operators of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, a spacecraft on a mission to deflect the small moonlet asteroid Dimorphos, used its camera on July 1 and Aug. 2 to take pictures of Jupiter and its moon system. According to NASA, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory team performed the image capture to evaluate the Small-body Maneuvering […]
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has awarded Maxar Technologies a $44 million contract modification for the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery program. Under the award, Maxar will continue providing unclassified, on-demand access to high-resolution commercial imagery to over 400,000 government users. The company will also make available data and products from other commercial industry providers, including BlackSky […]
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems has selected Rocket Lab USA as the launch provider for the GAzelle satellite hosting the Argos-4 Advanced Data Collection System and RadMon space radiation monitoring payloads. The mission, dubbed It Argos Up From Here, is expected to lift off on Oct. 5 from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New […]
NASA has extended Spire Global’s contract to participate in the Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition program, tasking the company to support the ongoing Signals of Opportunity: P-band Investigation mission by collecting ultra high frequency and P-band radio signal data. According to Jeffrey Piepmeier, the chief microwave instrument engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Spire’s efforts enabled SNOOPI […]
NASA is pursuing a sustainable lunar lander that will be used for future regular moon landings. According to a NASA solicitation, selected contractors under the Human Landing System Sustaining Lunar Development program will perform one uncrewed and one crewed landing demo each. The space agency will certify lander systems first before allowing them to transport […]
The Space Systems Command has announced the creation of a new program office that will enable the SSC, the Space Development Agency and the Missile Defense Agency to coordinate their procurement efforts for missile-tracking satellites. The office was established following a Government Accountability Office report in June that criticized the lack of coordination between MDA, […]
