SpaceX bid on launch of NASA cubesat mission
WASHINGTON — A NASA competition to launch a cluster of cubesats attracted a bid from SpaceX, who appeared to offer a vehicle other than its current Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy.
NASA released March 11 the source selection statement from the competition to launch the Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission, a group of six cubesats to be launched into three orbital planes in 2022 to study tropical weather systems.
Keeping up with Thomas
Image:
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will serve as commander of the International Space Station towards the end of his second mission, called Alpha, currently slated to begin on 22 April this year. The announcement was made during today’s press briefing.
Thomas will be the fourth European to hold the post of commander, after ESA astronauts Frank De Winne, Alexander Gerst and Luca Parmitano. During the briefing, Thomas remarked how three back-to-back European commanders underscores the growing role of Europe in space exploration and is a testament to the hard work of ESA colleagues.
‘I am unbelievably humbled and honoured’, said Thomas.
Alpha pre-launch press briefing
Video:
01:06:46
Watch the replay of the virtual press event in which ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet talks about his upcoming ‘Alpha’ mission to the International Space Station.
Set to launch on 22 April, Thomas will be the first ESA astronaut to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon being launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida, USA. In this event we will also hear from ESA ISS Utilisation Planning Team Leader Kirsten MacDonell, and Head of the ESA Human and Robotic Exploration Strategy & Coordination Group Didier Schmitt.
Loft Orbital purchases satellite antennas from Anywaves
WASHINGTON — Loft Orbital is buying antennas for an upcoming mission from French provider Anywaves, a deal the companies see as a sign of a growing European ecosystem of space startups.
Anywaves announced March 16 it sold two S-band antennas to Loft Orbital, which will install them on its YAM-3 spacecraft launching in June on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission.
China to construct commercial spaceport to support booming space industry
HELSINKI — China will establish a commercial spaceport in the coming years to support the rapid growth of private space activities in the country.
Scientists unearth meteorite from the birth of the solar system
Scientists believe they have identified a meteorite formed in the first million years of our solar system, making it the oldest known meteor of volcanic origin.
The space rock, which began its journey some 4.5 billion years ago, has already proved an "exceptional" witness to the building blocks of the planets.
Known as Erg Chech 002, the meteorite was discovered in May 2020 by meteor hunters in the Algerian Sahara desert. It had rested undisturbed for "at least 100 years", according to Jean-Alix Barrat, a geochemist at France's Brest University.
In a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, Barrat and his colleagues describe its discovery and several rare features.
There are 43 officially documented fragments, but "probably about a hundred" either still in the ground or unaccounted for, said the study.
Congressional Democrats urge Biden to cut defense spending
WASHINGTON — A March 16 letter signed by 50 House Democrats urges President Joe Biden to reduce the Pentagon’s budget to pay for other activities.
The letter is intended to influence the president’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 which the administration is expected to submit to Congress in early May.
U.S. Space Force would support commercial services to remove orbital debris
WASHINGTON — Vice Chief of Space Operations of the U.S. Space Force Gen. David Thompson said it would make sense for the government to pay companies to clean up space junk if such services existed.
Satellite operators want a seat at the table in space security discussions
WASHINGTON — Companies that operate commercial satellites should participate in the growing conversation about rules of behavior in space, a Eutelsat executive said March 16.
How to ensure space remains a peaceful environment is a central question that government and military officials from the United States and other countries continue to debate.
