Paris, France (SPX) Oct 18, 2024
A new advanced hardware system known as the Sub-Millimetre Wave Validation Standard Antenna, or VAST, will serve as a critical test target for Europe's satellite antenna test facilities. Though not designed for space missions directly, VAST is engineered to validate the measurement of complex radio frequencies used in future space operations. "The VAST is a well-characterised, mechanically

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 18, 2024
For decades, astronomers have focused on distant galaxies as the source of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. However, new observations from the HAWC observatory have revealed that microquasars - compact binary systems within our own galaxy - are also capable of producing gamma photons with extremely high energies. Researchers from the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma-Ray Observator

Boston MA (SPX) Oct 18, 2024
A quasar is the extremely bright core of a galaxy that hosts an active supermassive black hole at its center. As the black hole draws in surrounding gas and dust, it blasts out an enormous amount of energy, making quasars some of the brightest objects in the universe. Quasars have been observed as early as a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, and it's been a mystery as to how these ob

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 18, 2024
Southern Launch and Varda Space Industries, a U.S.-based company focused on microgravity-enabled life sciences, have been granted approval by the Australian Government for a series of spacecraft returns at the Koonibba Test Range. This marks the first time the Australian Government has authorized a spacecraft re-entry under the revised Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018. Three pharmaceutical

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 16, 2024
NASA, alongside partners Boeing and SpaceX, is advancing its plans for next year's International Space Station (ISS) missions as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. While preparatory efforts continue, NASA anticipates an active year of orbital operations with targeted mission timeframes, contingent on operational readiness and station scheduling. b>Crew-10 Mission br> /b> The S

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 16, 2024
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM), a global leader in satellite communications, has announced that the Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded a $491.6 million contract modification to the partnership of General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) and Iridium. The contract supports the Ground Management and Integration (GMI) program for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA),

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 16, 2024
Intelsat, a leader in global satellite and terrestrial network operations, recently concluded a managed satellite communications pilot program for the U.S. Army, marking the completion of the Army's first multi-vendor Satellite as a Managed Service (SATaaMS) Pilot. This initiative provided the Army with new, flexible multi-orbit SATCOM support under a fully managed service model. "The gove

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 17, 2024
Hydrosat, a climate tech firm specializing in thermal imagery for monitoring water stress in agriculture and mitigating climate change impacts, has secured a $1.9 million contract with the US Air Force. The agreement will enable Hydrosat to provide its thermal satellite data to tackle key challenges within the Department of the Air Force (DAF), aiming to enhance the nation's defense capabilities

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 17, 2024
To advance the development of versatile spacecraft propulsion systems, the U.S. Space Force has awarded $35 million to a national research initiative headed by the University of Michigan. The new Space Power and Propulsion for Agility, Responsiveness and Resilience Institute aims to integrate rapid-response chemical rockets with efficient electric propulsion dr

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 20, 2024
A set of satellites for the European internet provider EutelsatOneWeb were successfully launched by SpaceX late Saturday night. The satellites were launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from SLC-4Eat the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California around 10:13 p.m. local time. The rocket's first-stage booster landed on a landing pad about eight minutes after the launch. "Deployment of OneW