Benchmark Space Systems unveils in-space mobility-as-a-service business
TAMPA, Fla. — Satellite propulsion startup Benchmark Space Systems has secured customers for a new ‘mobility-as-a-service’ business, which similar to a taxi ride will charge them based on the amount of propellant they use.
Burlington, Vermont-based Benchmark said its in-space mobility service significantly reduces upfront propulsion costs for on-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing (OSAM) ventures with indefinite propulsion needs.
Iceye establishes office to serve Japanese market
SAN FRANCISCO – Iceye is expanding to serve the Japanese market with the support of Makoto Higashi, the former Japan Space Imaging Corp. CEO and president, who will serve as Iceye’s general manager in Japan.
Within a year, Iceye plans to open an office in Tokyo and begin serving Japanese government and commercial customers with a 10-person staff, the company said in a June 23 news release.
Video: Simulating atmospheric reentry in a plasma wind tunnel
Simulating the burn-up during atmospheric reentry of one of the bulkiest items aboard a typical satellite using a plasma wind tunnel.
This Solar Array Drive Mechanism (SADM) has the essential task of keeping a satellite's solar wings trained on the Sun, maintaining mission operations.
But its bulky nature presents a problem in terms of space debris guidelines. When a spacecraft reenters on an uncontrolled basis, the spacecraft operator has to prove that the on-ground casualty risk posed by its satellite is lower than 1 in 10 000.
So last year SADM manufacturer Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (KDA) started an investigation supported by ESA, Hyperschall Technologie Göttingen GmbH (HTG) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to demonstrate the 'desmisability' of one of its satellite products.
They began by modeling such a reentry using ESA's dedicated SCARAB (Spacecraft Atmospheric Reentry and Aerothermal Break-up) software and comparable resources, tweaking the SADM by switching one screw to lower-melting-point alumimium to promote an earlier, higher-altitude breakup.
Image: Jezero Crater's 'Delta scarp'
Less metal, more X-rays: New research unlocks key to high luminosity of black holes
A recent article published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, led by Dr. Kostas Kouroumpatzakis, of the Institute of Astrophysics at the Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (IA-FORTH), and the University of Crete, provides new insights into the connection between the X-ray luminosity of accreting black holes and neutron stars and the composition of the stellar populations they are associated with.
Nelson says Artemis plans pending decision on GAO protest
WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told a House committee June 23 that NASA is awaiting a decision from the Government Accountability Office on protests of the agency’s lunar lander contract before releasing more details on plans to return humans to the moon.
Astrocast mulls going public to expand to 100 satellites
TAMPA, Fla. — Swiss startup Astrocast is considering becoming a public company to expand its constellation for connecting internet of things (IoT) devices.
The venture has hired European investment bank Bryan, Garnier & Co to explore selling a 30-40% stake on the Euronext Growth stock exchange.
ULA delays further use of enhanced upper-stage engine pending studies
WASHINGTON — United Launch Alliance will not be using an upgraded upper-stage engine in upcoming Atlas 5 missions as the company investigates the source of vibrations seen during a May 18 flight.
Europe seeks disabled astronauts, more women in space
![Europe seeks disabled astronauts, more women in space](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2021/europe-seeks-disabled.jpg "In this July 5, 2001 file photo, French astronaut Claudie Haignere, right, and her Russian crewmates Viktor Afanasyev, center, and Konstantin Kozeyev train inside the mock-up of a Soyuz TM spacecraft in Star City. The ESA, NASA's European equivalent. The European Space Agency says it was "blown away" by the record number of applicants – more than 22,000 – hoping to become the continent's next generation of space travelers, including more women than ever and some 200 people with disabilities. AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, File)")
NASA, Nelson push for annual moon landings for 'a dozen years'
NASA needs crewed lunar landings every year for "a dozen years," the agency's administrator, Bill Nelson, said in a House of Representatives committee hearing Wednesday.
Nelson, who became administrator May 3, said Congress hasn't appropriated enough money for the nation's coming lunar aspirations.
"We want to have these sustained landings over a dozen years, and that's gonna cos 
