What would a sustainable space environment look like?
Thursday, 10 March 2022 12:30
October 4, 2022, will be an auspicious day as humanity celebrates the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the Space Age. It all began in 1957 with the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik-1, the first artificial satellite ever sent to orbit. Since that time, about 8,900 satellites have been launched from more than 40 countries worldwide. This has led to growing concerns about space debris and the hazard it represents to future constellations, spacecraft, and even habitats in low Earth orbit (LEO).
This has led to many proposed solutions for cleaning up "space junk," as well as satellite designs that would allow them to deorbit and burn up. Alas, there are still questions about whether a planet surrounded by mega-constellations is sustainable over the long term. A recent study by James A. Blake, a research fellow with the University of Warwick, examined the evolution of the debris environment in LEO and assessed if future space operations can be conducted sustainably.
For his Ph.D. project, Blake focused on the imaging and tracking of space debris in geosynchronous Earth orbits (GEOs) around 36,000 km (22,370 mi) above the equator.
Slingshot Aerospace closes $25 million fundraising round
Thursday, 10 March 2022 12:00
Slingshot Aerospace, a company that develops technologies for space situational awareness, announced March 10 it has raised $25 million in Series A-1 funds.
The post Slingshot Aerospace closes $25 million fundraising round appeared first on SpaceNews.
IMPERIAL: 3D printing’s new dimension
Thursday, 10 March 2022 12:00
Video:
00:02:30
ESA’s new IMPERIAL 3D printer can print parts much larger than itself, overcoming one of the main constraints of the process – limited build volume.
What is also known as ‘Additive manufacturing’ is an essential enabling technology for deep space crewed missions. Accordingly this printer has been specially designed with ‘out-of-Earth’ manufacturing in mind, enabling future space explorers to produce structures, tools and spare parts as needed. Built to operate in weightlessness – meaning it can work upside down on Earth – the printer is capable of printing high performance polymer parts of unlimited dimensions along a single direction.
Omnibus bill cuts funding for future weather satellites
Thursday, 10 March 2022 11:46
Appropriators cut funding for a new generation of weather satellites while increasing funding for the Office of Space Commerce for fiscal year 2022.
The post Omnibus bill cuts funding for future weather satellites appeared first on SpaceNews.
Voters block agreement for planned Georgia spaceport
Thursday, 10 March 2022 10:17
Voters in a Georgia county have dealt a potentially fatal blow to a proposed spaceport, a move that may provide lessons for other prospective spaceports.
The post Voters block agreement for planned Georgia spaceport appeared first on SpaceNews.
Backbone of Hera asteroid mission
Thursday, 10 March 2022 08:03
Image:
Backbone of Hera asteroid mission Motiv Space Systems and Blue Origin announce ModuLink
Thursday, 10 March 2022 06:59
Motiv Space Systems reports it has been awarded a contract under the Defense Innovation Unit's (DIU's) Modularity for Space Systems Program (M4SS) together with sub-contractor Blue Origin. The contract leverages Motiv's advanced space robotics technology to enable a new age of space utilization in which deployed spacecraft can be repaired, augmented, or modified to make them more resilient and m Satellogic and Astraea enable direct collection access for emergency response in Ukraine
Thursday, 10 March 2022 06:59
Satellogic Inc. (NASDAQ:SATL), a leader in sub-meter resolution satellite imagery collection, announced a collaboration with Astraea, a geospatial and AI analysis software company, to distribute critical Earth Observation ("EO") data directly to the Ukrainian government, allied governments, and humanitarian organizations on the ground.
Satellogic is providing its Daily Collection Access se Saudi, Lockheed Martin in missile defence deal
Thursday, 10 March 2022 06:59
Saudi Arabia announced a deal Monday with US firm Lockheed Martin to manufacture elements of the missile defences of the Gulf state, the target of frequent cross-border attacks by rebels in Yemen.
Its military industries authority, cited by state news agency SPA, approved two projects to produce launchers and other equipment used in the THAAD anti-missile defence system.
The announcement MDA to provide satellite imagery for international efforts in UKRAINE
Thursday, 10 March 2022 06:59
MDA Ltd. issued the following statement regarding the ongoing situation in Ukraine: "As organizations around the globe come together in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration to support efforts to restore peace, MDA has secured special authorization from the Government of Canada to collect Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite imagery over restricted areas in Ukraine.
Images captured Expedition to highest active volcano unearths clues about life on other worlds
Thursday, 10 March 2022 06:59
A harsh sun shines down through a cloudless sky, across a vast and unforgiving landscape. It's covered in gray rock, giant ice sculptures and expansive fields of spiky, yellow and orange bushes. In the distance, intimidating mountain peaks dominate the desolate scene, many miles from the nearest town. Yet alpacas roam freely and flamingos seek out scarce water, both unexpected sights in this wil Virgin Orbit to launch first Welsh satellite from UK Spaceport Summer 2022
Thursday, 10 March 2022 03:19
Leading launch company Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) and European in-space manufacturing tech start-up Space Forge has announced an agreement to launch the first satellite developed in Wales in summer 2022.
In a historic moment for UK space, the satellite will be launched as part of a broader joint UK-US mission to open the country's first domestic space port in summer 2022 out of Spaceport SpaceX launches 48 Starlink satellites amid Ukraine crisis
Thursday, 10 March 2022 03:19
SpaceX launched 48 more of the company's Starlink broadband Internet satellites on Wednesday morning from Florida.
The company's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off as planned at 8:45 a.m. EST into a mostly blue sky from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch was SpaceX's 10th in 2022.
"Time to let the American broomstick fly and hear the sounds of freedom," a SpaceX launch contro Moving right along - slowly but surely during Sols 3409-3410
Thursday, 10 March 2022 03:19
We are continuing to slowly move through this very challenging terrain - over the weekend we made it about 4 meters before the drive stopped when the rover sensed more difficulty. The attached image shows the deeper rover tracks over the undulating and rocky terrain, which has given us so much trouble driving and making it frequently unsafe to unstow the arm.
Despite all the challenges, th Massive bubbles at center of Milky Way caused by supermassive black hole
Thursday, 10 March 2022 03:19
In 2020, the X-ray telescope eRosita took images of two enormous bubbles extending far above and below the center of our galaxy. Since then, astronomers have debated their origin. Now, a study including University of Michigan research suggests the bubbles are a result of a powerful jet of activity from the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The study, published in Nature Ast