NRO signs agreements with six commercial providers of space-based RF data
The NRO awarded study contracts to commercial RF providers Aurora Insight, HawkEye 360, Kleos Space, PredaSAR, Spire Global and Umbra Lab.
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Scientists depict Dragonfly landing site on Saturn moon Titan
When NASA's 990-pound Dragonfly rotorcraft reaches the Selk crater region—the mission's target touchdown spot—on Saturn's moon Titan in 2034, Cornell's Léa Bonnefoy will have helped to make it a smooth landing.
Bonnefoy and her colleagues assisted the future arrival by characterizing the equatorial, hummocky, knoll-like landscape by combining and analyzing all of the radar images of the area acquired by the Cassini spacecraft during its historic 13 year exploration of the Saturn system. They used radar reflectivity and angled shadows to determine the properties of the surface.
Effectively, it's a scene of sand dunes and broken-up icy ground.
The research, "Composition, Roughness, and Topography from Radar Backscatter at Selk Crater, the Dragonfly Landing Site," was published Aug.
Cristoforetti becomes first European woman to command ISS
Italy's Samantha Cristoforetti on Wednesday became the first European woman to take over command of the International Space Station during a ceremony broadcast live from space.
The outgoing commander, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, used the occasion to seemingly make a rare space-bound reference to the war in Ukraine, saying that "despite the storms on Earth, our international cooperation continues".
During a relaxed ceremony, Artemyev handed Cristoforetti a golden key, symbolising that she is the new commander of the space station until she returns to Earth on October 10.
Cristoforetti, a 45-year-old European Space Agency astronaut and former Italian air force pilot, arrived for her second tour on the ISS in April.
She holds the record for the longest stay in space by a woman after spending 199 days in orbit in 2014 and 2015.
Guetlein: improved space domain awareness essential for national security
With space essential to military operations, better understanding of what objects are in orbit and the threats they may pose is “foundational” for space security, a Space Force general said.
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Shift to remote work draws mixed reactions
Some space company leaders are embracing the trend toward remote work. Others caution against it. In any case, the pandemic has changed the calculus for current and prospective employees.
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Lamborn: ‘Merit on both sides’ of debate over Space National Guard
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), a key congressional proponent of establishing a Space National Guard, said he would consider an alternative proposal endorsed by Space Force leaders and by the Biden administration.
ESA Impact Q3 is now online!
ESA Impact Q3 is now online!
Welcome to this edition of ESA Impact, an interactive publication covering stories and images from the third quarter of 2022.
Insights into Utopia Basin revealed by Mars rover Zhurong
A new radar image obtained by China's Mars rover Zhurong provides insights into the surface structure of the Utopia Planitia basin. The findings - which reveal multiple sub-layers suggestive of sediment deposition following episodic flooding millions of years ago - may improve our understanding of the planets' geological and hydrological history.
Utopia is an impact crater on Mars that is NASA awards commercial Small Satellite Data Acquisition Agreement
NASA has selected GHGSat, Inc., of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to provide commercial small constellation satellite products for evaluation to determine the utility for advancing NASA's science and application goals. GHGSat will provide a comprehensive catalogue of Earth Observation data High Resolution Gas Detection Commercial Earth Observation Data products.
This is a fixed-price blanket pu A broken rock won't break our Team
Last week, Perseverance attempted an abrasion on the Chiniak target at Enchanted Lake. Scientists and engineers worked together to plan this activity on an intriguing target of potentially fine-grained rocks at the base of the Jezero delta. But, when the images came down on sol 564 (September 21st), the once coherent rock target was broken, precluding any further proximity science or sampling on 
