DoD calls for broader dialogue on space rules of behavior
Monday, 26 July 2021 19:55
WASHINGTON — A set of guidelines issued by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for responsible space operations should be part of a wider conversation about how to maintain safety and security in space, a senior Pentagon official said July 26.
Astronomers seek evidence of tech built by aliens
Monday, 26 July 2021 19:06
An international team of scientists led by a prominent Harvard astronomer announced a new initiative Monday to look for evidence of technology built by extraterrestrial civilizations.
Called the Galileo Project, it envisages the creation of a global network of medium-sized telescopes, cameras and computers to investigate unidentified flying objects, and has so far been funded with $1.75 million from private donors.
Given recent research showing the prevalence of Earth-like planets throughout the galaxy, "We can no longer ignore the possibility that technological civilizations predated us," Professor Avi Loeb told reporters at a news conference.
"The impact of any discovery of extraterrestrial technology on science, our technology, and on our entire world view, would be enormous," he added in a statement.
Large meteor lights up skies in Norway
Monday, 26 July 2021 17:25
SpaceX or ULA to launch future Space Development Agency satellites
Monday, 26 July 2021 15:53
WASHINGTON — Launch services for Space Development Agency satellites will be procured under the National Security Space Launch program run by the U.S. Space Force, according to an agency announcement.
SDA is a Defense Department agency that is building a large constellation of small communications satellites in low Earth orbit known as the Transport Layer.
Jeff Bezos is still not an astronaut, according to the FAA
Monday, 26 July 2021 15:43
Just because you were in space doesn't mean you get the wings of an astronaut.
The Federal Aviation Administration set new rules concerning the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program and the criteria used to award those commanding, piloting or working on privately funded spacecraft with the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings badge.
The order was issued on July 20, the same day billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origin rocket crew made history by blasting off from the West Texas desert, reaching space and returning to Earth.
NASA, the Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration and some astrophysicists consider the boundary between the atmosphere and space to begin 50 miles up. Bezos actually met the requirement by going 62 miles above sea level.
To earn the wings, the FAA now states that passengers must have "demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety." Given the automation of Blue Origin, Bezos doesn't meet this criteria.
New Shepard, a 60-foot rocket and capsule, was designed primarily for space tourism thanks to fully automated flight systems, meaning nobody was piloting the craft nor contributing to "human space flight safety.
U.K. to strengthen regulations for Starlink, OneWeb and other NGSO constellations
Monday, 26 July 2021 14:59
TAMPA, Fla. — British telecoms regulator Ofcom is proposing rule changes that would affect Starlink, OneWeb and other satellite constellations operating in non-geostationary orbits (NGSO).
It is increasingly difficult for companies to agree on how to operate their NGSO networks without causing harmful radio interference to each other, Ofcom warned in a July 26 consultation document it issues before creating new rules.
Op-ed | It’s time to seriously consider space-based solar power
Monday, 26 July 2021 14:00
In the late 1960s, enterprising scientist Peter Glaser proposed using orbiting satellites to collect incoming solar radiation, transform it into microwaves, and beam it down to focused receivers on Earth where it would be converted into electricity.
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We are going Bezos offers billions in incentives for NASA lunar lander contract
Monday, 26 July 2021 12:19
WASHINGTON — Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos says his company will cover more than $2 billion in costs if NASA will award it a second Human Landing System (HLS) contract.
In a July 26 letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Bezos said the company would waive up to $2 billion in payments in the first years of a new award, as well as pay for a demonstration mission, should NASA give the company an HLS award like the one SpaceX received in April to develop and demonstrate a crewed lunar lander.
Tech Breakthrough Morphs Gigabit WiFi into Terabit Satellite Internet
Monday, 26 July 2021 11:37
A highly unlikely, radically innovative synthesis of millimeter wave antenna design, digital communications coding, new-school terrestrial radio multi-signal processing and old-school satellite directional transmission could be delivering High Definition Internet from way-on-high to billions by 2026.
China is working on a relay satellite to support lunar polar missions
Monday, 26 July 2021 11:04
HELSINKI — China is developing a new lunar relay satellite to support future exploration missions to the south pole of the moon.
Op-ed | The Success of Artemis Hinges on NASA’s Commitment to Competition
Monday, 26 July 2021 11:00
The United States is about to take its next giant leap into space – the return of U.S. astronauts to the moon by 2024, this time to stay.
Report calls on government agencies to better coordinate spectrum
Monday, 26 July 2021 10:19
WASHINGTON — An interagency dispute about the use of a spectrum band for weather forecasting versus terrestrial wireless services illustrates the need for the federal government to reform its spectrum management processes, a report concluded.
Reprogrammable satellite is ready for launch
Monday, 26 July 2021 07:33
A European telecommunications satellite that can be completely repurposed while in orbit has been placed on board a rocket ready for launch on 30 July.
Google parent launches new 'moonshot' for robotics software
Monday, 26 July 2021 04:14
Google's parent Alphabet unveiled a new "moonshot" project to develop software for robotics which could be used in a wide range of industries.
The new unit, dubbed Intrinsic, will "become an independent Alphabet company," and seek industrial partners to advance their work helping to make everything from solar panels to cars, the new unit's chief, Wendy Tan-White, said in a blog post.
"In