Military space chiefs from 15 countries gather amid growing security concerns
Tuesday, 05 April 2022 01:25The United States this week will host the third gathering of international military space chiefs in Colorado Springs.
The post Military space chiefs from 15 countries gather amid growing security concerns appeared first on SpaceNews.
Six bases selected as candidate locations for U.S. Space Force training command
Monday, 04 April 2022 23:39The Department of the Air Force on April 4 announced six Space Force bases in Colorado, Florida and California are candidate locations for the headquarters of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Training and Readiness Command.
Space Force looking to ease barriers to entry for commercial companies
Monday, 04 April 2022 21:32A new Commercial Space Futures Office is helping the Space Force analyze the technical and financial wherewithal of commercial space companies.
The post Space Force looking to ease barriers to entry for commercial companies appeared first on SpaceNews.
New L3Harris space boss says it’s time to rethink risk tolerance
Monday, 04 April 2022 21:27With China and Russia embracing hypersonic weapons capable of evading U.S. missile shields, the Pentagon is spending billions of dollars on infrared sensor satellites to counter the threat. Kelle Wendling, the new president of L3Harris Technologies’ Space Systems sector, says U.S.
Head of U.S. Space Force launch operations ‘watching Starship closely’
Monday, 04 April 2022 21:23Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy was in Boca Chica, Texas, last month visiting Starship manufacturing and testing operations.
The post Head of U.S. Space Force launch operations ‘watching Starship closely’ appeared first on SpaceNews.
Space industry struggling to attract more skilled workers
Monday, 04 April 2022 21:09While the space industry workforce continues to increase, there are signs the industry may be struggling to attract people, which could stifle its long-term growth.
The post Space industry struggling to attract more skilled workers appeared first on SpaceNews.
Xplore acquires Kubos and Major Tom software
Monday, 04 April 2022 20:52Xplore Inc. announced the acquisition April 4 of spacecraft software developer Kubos Corp. including Major Tom, Kubos’ flight control software platform.
The post Xplore acquires Kubos and Major Tom software appeared first on SpaceNews.
Space investors predict more acquisitions to combat hiring challenges
Monday, 04 April 2022 19:14Hiring challenges in the space industry will lead to more acquisitions as way for companies to access talent and expand their workforces, investors said during an April 4 space finance session at the 37th Space Symposium.
NASA plans talks with partners on ISS and Artemis
Monday, 04 April 2022 18:06NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy plans to use this week’s Space Symposium to meet with international partners on both the long-term future of the International Space Station and roles in later phases of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration effort.
Millennium prepares for mass manufacturing
Monday, 04 April 2022 17:47For the moment, Millennium Space System’s new small satellite factory looks like a series of huge rooms that are mostly empty except for powerful yellow cranes in the corners and impressive power strips lining the walls.
The post Millennium prepares for mass manufacturing appeared first on SpaceNews.
German environmental satellite EnMAP successfully launched into space
Monday, 04 April 2022 17:46The German environmental satellite EnMAP was successfully launched into space on Friday evening from Cape Canaveral in Florida on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The "science" team of the EnMAP mission at the German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam celebrated the exciting minutes before and during the launch with a diverse and informative event. Lectures, talks and live broadcasts gave an impression of the scientific background, many years of preparations and various current and future fields of application of the mission. Also joining the event was Potsdam's Lord Mayor Mike Schubert, who was equally excited and congratulated on the successful launch.
Over the next few years, the hyperspectral mission will take pictures of the Earth's surface in around 250 colors ("spectral bands") and thus provide information on the condition of vegetation, soils and waters more precisely than ever before. Even short-term changes can be recorded with the help of the satellite, which is about the size of a wardrobe.
Shake and bake: NASA's Psyche is tested in spacelike conditions
Monday, 04 April 2022 17:46To prepare for its launch in August, the Psyche spacecraft has been tested to ensure it can operate in the extreme conditions it will face on its trip to a metal-rich asteroid.
The conditions that a NASA spacecraft endures are extreme: the violent shaking and cacophony of a rocket launch, the jolt of separating from the launch vehicle, the extreme temperature fluctuations in and out of the sun's rays, the unforgiving vacuum of space.
Before launch, engineers do their best to replicate these harsh conditions in a rigorous series of tests to ensure the spacecraft can withstand them. NASA's Psyche spacecraft has just completed its own gauntlet of electromagnetic, thermal-vacuum, vibration, shock, and acoustic testing at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Millennium works with Boeing to address smallsat demand
Monday, 04 April 2022 17:45Millennium Space Systems is working closely with Boeing, its corporate parent, to gear up for rapid production of spacecraft for government and commercial constellations.
The post Millennium works with Boeing to address smallsat demand appeared first on SpaceNews.
Spaceborne Computer-2 completes 24 experiments on ISS
Monday, 04 April 2022 17:00Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft and NASA will share details at the 37th Space Symposium on 24 research experiments completed to date on the International Space Station’s HPE Spaceborne Computer-2.
The post Spaceborne Computer-2 completes 24 experiments on ISS appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA uses moonlight to improve satellite accuracy
Monday, 04 April 2022 15:50NASA's airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance, or air-LUSI, flew aboard NASA's ER-2 aircraft from March 12 to 16 to accurately measure the amount of light reflected off the Moon. Reflected moonlight is a steady source of light that researchers are taking advantage of to improve the accuracy and consistency of measurements among Earth-observing satellites.
"The Moon is extremely stable and not influenced by factors on Earth like climate to any large degree. It becomes a very good calibration reference, an independent benchmark, by which we can set our instruments and see what's happening with our planet," said air-LUSI's principal investigator, Kevin Turpie, a research professor at the University of Maryland, College Park.