Liftoff! Pioneers of space
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space 60 years ago.
Biden Requests $24.7 Billion Budget for NASA, an Increase Over 2021
The White House released a first look at its budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 that includes an increase in funding for NASA, particularly Earth science and space technology programs. The 58-page budget document, released April 9, outlines the Biden administration discretionary spending priorities. It provides only high-level details, though, with a full budget proposal expected later in the spring
Satellite News
India’s telecom regulator assessing Starlink system before accepting beta
Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX recently launched its Starlink satellite internet service that claims to be capable of delivering 50Mbps to 150Mbps internet access to “any part”
Thales Alenia Space Wins Feasibility Study Contract for Moon Accommodations
Thales Alenia Space has won a contract from the Italian space agency (ASI) to conduct a feasibility study of 16 design concepts to support a human presence on the Moon. ASI’s initiative is part of a strategic partnership with NASA within the scope of the ARTEMIS program for the human exploration of the Moon, including both lunar orbit and lunar surface.
Exploration News
Crew 2 arrive in Florida / YOUTUBE / Thomas Pesquet – Nasa Crew 2/ SpaceX -2
Four astronauts arrived in Florida on Friday for their mission to the International Space Station planned for next week – the third launch of people aboard a SpaceX rocket and capsule
Two paths to first helicopter flight on Mars
April 16, on the 154th anniversary of Wilbur Wright’s birth, the Ingenuity flight team received information that the helicopter was able to complete a rapid spin test.
Launcher News
NASA chooses SpaceX to take humans back to Moon
NASA has selected SpaceX to land the first astronauts on the surface of the Moon since 1972, the agency said Friday, in a huge victory for Elon Musk’s company. The contract, worth $2.9 billion, involves the prototype Starship spacecraft that is being tested at SpaceX’s south Texas facility.
NewSpace News
GomSpace and Unseen Labs’ 35.5 MSEK Contract For Design And Delivery Of Nanosatellite Platforms
GomSpace must have done something right for Unseen Labs in France to ‘reup’ their contract to continue the development and delivery of nanosatellite platforms to Unseen Labs in France. The contract is worth 35.5 MSEK ($4.2 Million US) and is a continuation of the already successful collaboration between the two companies.
Consortium unveils greenhouse gas monitoring constellation Carbon Mapper
A consortium led by the State of California, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Planet announced plans April 15 for a constellation of hyperspectral satellites to pinpoint, quantify and track point sources of methane and carbon dioxide.
Iceye establishes U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Irvine, California
Iceye has established a satellite manufacturing facility, research and development laboratory, and mission operations center for U.S.-licensed spacecraft at its new Iceye US headquarters in Irvine, California.
Blue Origin aces dress rehearsal for New Shepard crewed flights
Blue Origin completed another test flight of its New Shepard vehicle April 14, putting the company on the verge of finally flying people.
Exolaunch Unveils Their Reliant Exo Space Tug Program
Exolaunch is discussing their new line of orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) that will launch satellites to custom orbits in an environmentally responsible way which, according the firm, are the first of their kind in the OTV industry. The company’s space tug testing and flight qualification will start in 2022 on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rideshare missions.
Space Safety News
LeoLabs adding new services to support growing space activity in low Earth orbit
LeoLabs is adding more sensors and data processing capacity to its network in preparation for a surge in satellites launches. LeoLabs operates three space-scanning radars and a cloud-based software platform that analyzes data on the location of space objects to develop alerts of potential collisions. The company’s customers include satellite operators, government agencies and insurance companies. LeoLabs also helped track the 143 satellites that flew last year on SpaceX’s record-setting rideshare Transporter-1.
NGC and Intelsat Make History with Docking of MEV-2 to Extend Life of Satellite
Northrop Grumman Corporation and the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, SpaceLogistics LLC, have successfully completed the docking of the Mission Extension Vehicle-2 (MEV-2) to the Intelsat 10-02 (IS-10-02) commercial communications satellite to deliver life-extension services. The docking was completed at 1:34 p.m. EST. Northrop Grumman is the only provider of flight-proven life extension services for satellites, and this is the second time the company has docked two commercial SATCOM.
Airbus and TNO to Develop Aircraft Laser Communication Terminal
Airbus and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) have launched a programme to develop a laser communication terminal demonstrator for aircraft, known as UltraAir. The project, which is co-financed by Airbus, TNO and the Netherlands Space Office (NSO), is part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) ScyLight (Secure and Laser communication technology) programme. It covers the design, construction and testing of the technology demonstrator.
Science & Technology News
Strong magnet-Revolutionized aerospace engineering
Magnets in aeronautics and aerospace engineering have been used for a long time and are specifically designed to be used in extreme environments and work for long run.
