Satellite News
Reprogrammable Satellite is Ready for Launch
A European telecommunications satellite that can be completely repurposed while in orbit has been placed on board a rocket ready for launch on 30 July. Developed under an ESA Partnership Project with satellite operator Eutelsat and prime manufacturer Airbus, Eutelsat Quantum is the first commercial fully flexible software-defined satellite in the world. Because it can be reprogrammed in orbit, it can respond to changing demands for data transmission and secure communications
Airbus Completes Integration of 3rd Copernicus Sentinel-2
Airbus has finished the integration of the Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite. It is the third of its kind and will now be shipped to Munich to undergo extensive environmental tests to prove its readiness for space. The test campaign will last until March 2022. The data gathered by Sentinel-2 satellites are used for monitoring land use and changes, soil sealing, land management, agriculture, forestry, natural disasters (floods, forest fires, landslides and erosion)
Jupiter Mission Passes Space Vacuum Test
ESA’s Juice mission to Jupiter has successfully endured a month of space-like conditions inside the Large Space Simulator, the largest vacuum chamber in Europe. At 10 m wide and 15 m high, the Large Space Simulator (LSS) is big enough to accommodate an upended London double decker bus. It is part of ESA’s ESTEC Test Centre in the Netherlands, the largest satellite testing facility in Europe.
Webb’s Golden Mirror Wings Open One Last Time on Earth
For the last time while it is on Earth, the world’s largest and most powerful space science telescope opened its iconic primary mirror. This event marked a key milestone in preparing the observatory for launch later this year. As part of the NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s final tests, the 6.5 meter (21 feet 4 inch) mirror was commanded to fully expand and lock itself into place, just like it would in space.
Exploration News
Starliner Will try Again on August 3 After ISS “Emergency”
The planned launch of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner test flight to the International Space Station (ISS) has been pushed back to Tuesday, August 3 after a mishap involving a newly docked Russian module. Originally, Starliner’s flight was to take place today, July 30, 2021 but NASA and Boeing officials agreed to delay the flight following a … Continue reading “Starliner Will try Again on August 3 After ISS “Emergency”” The post Starliner Will try Again on August 3 After ISS “Emergency” appeared first on Universe Today.
US watchdog upholds SpaceX’s Moon lander contract
NASA did not violate regulations when it decided to give SpaceX the sole contract to build a Moon lander, a watchdog said Friday, in a ruling that denied challenges by competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics. The human landing system (HLS) contract, worth $2.9 billion, was given to Elon Musk’s company in April, but was protested by the other bidders, Blue Origin Offers a $2 Billion Discount to get Back in the Lunar Lander Game
Launcher News
Chinese space firm launches and lands small test rocket
Chinese private launch company Deep Blue Aerospace carried out a first low-altitude vertical takeoff, vertical land test late July.
iRocket Signs Space Act Agreement With NASA To Start Building Autonomous, Reusable Rockets For Smallsats
iRocket announced that the company signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. iRocket is a New York startup building autonomous reusable rockets to cargo smallsat constellations to LEO via the company’s Shockwave launch vehicle. iRocket develops cost-effective launch vehicles that can support 300 and […]
NewSpace News
Inmarsat unveils multi-orbit Orchestra constellation
British operator Inmarsat plans to add at least 150 low-Earth-orbit satellites to its global fleet, stepping up competition against OneWeb and others developing megaconstellations for mobility markets.
Satellite Telemedicine Solutions For Monitoring COVID-19 Patients Being Developed By Leaf Space
Leaf Space is progressing with the launch phase of a new, innovative use of telemedicine via satellite for home monitoring of patients with COVID-19 as part of the CARES project led by the company and co-funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). CARES is a set of medical devices connected to a smartphone,
D-Orbit Successfully Deploys All WILD RIDE Smallsat Mission Payloads
D-Orbit has successfully completed the deployment phase of their WILD RIDE mission. As part of this phase, D-Orbit’s ION Satellite Carrier (ION), the company’s proprietary space transportation vehicle, successfully deployed all six satellites hosted onboard and will now proceed with the on-orbit demonstration of 12 hosted payloads. The WILD RIDE mission began on June 30
GeoOptics to launch next-generation Earth science constellation
GeoOptics is planning to deploy of constellation of dozens of smallsats over the next five years to collect weather and other Earth science data for government and commercial customers.
R3-IoT gets funding for satellite-enabled sensor connectivity solutions
Scottish startup R3-IoT is expanding to North America after raising early funds for connecting sensors and devices with satellite-enabled solutions.
Isar Aerospace raises $75 million
Isar Aerospace, a German small launch vehicle company, has raised an additional $75 million that will allow the company to expand its manufacturing and launch capabilities.
Space Safety News
Russia’s Nauka science module docks with ISS /
Russia said it successfully docked the Nauka laboratory module with the International Space Station on Thursday – though the troubled unit caused yet another fright after accidentally firing and briefly throwing the entire station out of position.
Station loses attitude control after Nauka docking, Starliner launch delayed
A Russian module that docked to the International Space Station July 29 started firing its thrusters hours later, briefly knocking the station out of its normal attitude and forcing NASA to delay a commercial crew test flight that was scheduled to launch July 30.
Science & Technology News
Rocket Tanks of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic Proven Possible
Future rockets could fly with tanks made of lightweight carbon fibre reinforced plastic thanks to ground-breaking research carried out within ESA’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme. Building on earlier studies, MT Aerospace in Germany has demonstrated a novel design of a small scale tank made of a unique carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) that is not only leak-proof with liquid hydrogen, but also compatible with liquid oxygen, without the use of a metal liner.
1st Test of Europe’s New Space Brain
ESA has successfully operated a spacecraft with Europe’s next-generation mission control system for the first time. The powerful software, named the ‘European Ground System – Common Core’ (EGS-CC), will be the ‘brain’ of all European spaceflight operations in the years to come, and promises new possibilities for how future missions will fly. On 26 June 2021, ESA’s OPS-SAT space lab became the first spacecraft to be monitored and controlled using the EGS-CC
