Satellite News
Lunar i-hab mockup completes acceptance review at Thales Alenia Space
The European Space Agency’s Lunar I-Hab initiative has achieved a significant milestone at the Thales Alenia Space facility in Turin with the completion of the Acceptance Review of the mockup,
International Collaboration Boosts Planetary Defense Efforts with Hera Mission
The team managing the European Space Agency’s Hera mission, designed for asteroid deflection, recently gathered in the ESTEC Test Centre cleanroom in the Netherlands, showcasing the mission’s spacecraft. The Hera and DART missions, part of the larger Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) collaboration, demonstrate an international effort in planetary defense. The initiative began with DART’s successful impact on the Dimorphos asteroid in September 2022, which effectively altered its orbit around Didymos.
Launcher News
Russia’s First Post-Cold War Rocket Lifts Off from Remote Eastern Launch Site
The three-stage rocket has taken flight on three previous occasions, but today’s launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region marks an important first, as Russia seeks to modernize its space program and keep pace with the rest of the world. The big rocket, standing nearly 179 feet (54.5 meters) tall, rumbled off the Vostochny launch pad at 5:00 a.m. ET this morning, according to Russian space agency Roscosmos. The mission went as planned, with the Angara A5 successfully delivering a test payload to low Earth orbit.
Astra considered bankruptcy as it struggled to raise cash
In the filing, Astra reported nearly $3.9 million in revenue for 2023 and a net loss of $178.4 million. The company had $9.4 million in revenue in 2022 and a net loss of $411.4 million. The company’s 2023 revenue came exclusively from its space products unit, which produces electric propulsion systems called Astra Spacecraft Engines. The company, which shelved its Rocket 3 small launch vehicle in 2022, reported no launch revenue in 2023.
Exploration News
NASA gears up for another Mars simulation mission
In an effort to further humanity’s journey to Mars, NASA has carefully selected a diverse group of four volunteers to undergo an intensive 45-day simulated mission to the Red Planet.
Chilliwack Engineer Launches Inflatable ‘Space Habitat’ With Elon Musk’s SpaceX
The engineers at Max Space said they have successfully shown that their expandable technology can be scaled upwards in size indefinitely — potentially as large as a stadium — while maintaining structural predictability. Their advancements make the company one-of-a-kind in the space habitation market by opening the door to large-scale production and vastly reduced flight qualification cost, the company announced.
NASA Has A Possible Ingenuity Successor And Her Name Is MAGGIE
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter took its final flight on January 18, 2024, but it proved that flight on Mars was indeed possible, flying 72 times before being permanently grounded by a broken rotor. NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) has now approved funding for a proposed Ingenuity successor, the Mars Aerial and Ground Global Intelligent Explorer or MAGGIE
NewSpace News
Aerospacelab acquires AMOS
Aerospacelab has acquired AMOS, known for their opto-mechanical systems that are widely used in space, astronomy and other industries. With a unique approach to vertical integration, this acquisition will reinforce Aerospacelab and AMOS’ market reach and product offerings throughout the access to a wider range of solutions to meet the diverse needs of customers
Tata Advanced Systems Limited + Satellogic announce TSAT-1A satellite launch success
Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Satellogic Inc. (NASDAQ: SATL) have announced the successful deployment into space of TASL’s TSAT-1A satellite aboard the SpaceX Bandwagon-1 mission that launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center on April 7, 2024. TSAT-1A has been assembled in TASL’s Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) plant at its Vemagal site
Space Safety News
Spire’s satellite constellation to be protected by Neuraspace’s Space Traffic Management solution
Spire will deploy Neuraspace’s Space Traffic Management (STM) platform to its constellation of 100+ multipurpose satellites — all satellites will be monitored using Neuraspace’s software. This combined setup allows Spire to track and monitor potential conjunctions across its constellation and, at the same time, focus on its more critical assets.
Russian Spacecraft Comes Alarmingly Close To Colliding With US Satellite, NASA ‘Very Shocked’
An American satellite narrowly avoided destruction when it came within 10 meters of a Russian satellite in space.
According to a report by The Mirror US citing experts, a collision between the two could have “endangered lives”. NASA’s Deputy Administrator, Colonel Pam Melroy expressed deep concern over the incident that occurred in February 2024. Despite efforts, neither satellite could be manoeuvred, resulting in an alarming near miss.
NASA Says Giraffe-Sized Asteroid to Pass Incredibly Close to Earth Today
The asteroid, named 2024 GJ2, will zip past our planet at a distance of 0.00012 astronomical units, or around 11,100 miles. Most asteroids are found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, with some flung into the inner solar system because of Jupiter’s gravity. Over 1 million asteroids are in our solar system, according to NASA‘s calculations. Around 31,000 of these asteroids are classified as near-Earth objects, or NEOs, because they are less than 30 million miles away from Earth.
