Satellite News
First Airbus Eurostar Neo Satellite Ready for Shipment to Launch Site
The first of Airbus’ next generation geostationary Eurostar Neo satellites is ready to be shipped to Cape Canaveral for launch preparations. HOTBIRD 13F will inaugurate the Eurostar Neo satellite era, while still benefiting from Airbus’ strong heritage of 80 Eurostar family satellites already launched. It will be positioned at 13 degrees east along with its twin satellite, HOTBIRD 13G, also built by Airbus and being launched later this year.
KT SAT and Thales Alenia Space Sign Contract for KOREASAT 6A Communications Satellite
Paris, September 12, 2022 – KT SAT Corporation Ltd. (KT SAT), the leading satellite service provider in South Korea, and Thales Alenia Space, the joint company between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), signed the contract for the KOREASAT 6A communications satellite. KOREASAT 6A will replace the current KORESAT 6 satellite and will deliver both fixed satellite service (FSS) and broadcasting satellite service (BSS) to South Korea.
Eutelsat and OneWeb consider second-generation LEO plans
OneWeb is considering plans for a second-generation constellation jointly with Eutelsat ahead of closing their proposed merger, executives for the satellite operators said Sept. 12.
Safran Enters Into Exclusive Negotiations With Thales to Acquire its Aeronautical Electrical Systems Activities
Safran announced that it has entered² into negotiations with Thales to acquire its aeronautical electrical systems business. This electric power conversion activity, also plays a role in power generation and electric motors in the civil and military aeronautics sector. Thales’s aeronautical electrical systems business employs nearly 600 people and generated revenues of €124 million in 2021.
Launcher News
PLD Space completes static-fire tests of Miura 1
PLD Space, a Spanish company developing a small launch vehicle, says it is ready to proceed with the launch of a suborbital technology demonstrator after completing a static-fire test.
Exploration News
ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti becomes first European female ISS commander
NewSpace News
EarthDaily constellation built for change-detection analysis
While much of the Earth-observation industry is seeking higher imagery resolution, EarthDaily Analytics is focused instead on gathering high-quality imagery that can be quickly analyzed to detect change.
Satlantis orders OHB Sweden satellites for multispectral mission
Satlantis, a Spanish Earth-observation technology company, signed a contract Sept. 14 to buy two multispectral microsatellites from OHB Sweden.
Vast Space to develop artificial-gravity space station
Vast Space, a Southern California startup founded by cryptocurrency billionaire Jed McCaleb, plans to establish an artificial-gravity space station in low Earth orbit.
Telespazio signs European distribution deal for NorthStar’s SSA data
European space mission integrator Telespazio said Sept. 14 it has signed a deal to distribute Canadian startup NorthStar Earth & Space’s planned space domain awareness services.
Six space companies join Techstars aerospace accelerator
Five space-related companies from the United States and one from the United Kingdom are joining the fall 2022 Techstars Aerospace and Defense Accelerator.
Spire Global’s space services agreement with GHGSat will launch satellites for greenhouse gas emissions monitoring
Three Spire 16U satellites carrying GHGSat’s payload will collect data on greenhouse gas emissions critical to helping organizations across the globe reduce their carbon footprint Spire Global, Inc., provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, announced a Space Services agreement with GHGSat, a leader in high-resolution methane monitoring from space, to expand its satellite […]
TESAT completes the PDR of their optical comms terminal for SDA’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer
Tesat-Spacecom (TESAT) recently completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the company’s Optical Communication Terminals (OCTs) for satellites as part of Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL). Lockheed Martin, a prime contractor for the agency’s tranche 0 (TLT0) and TLT1 satellites, and the SDA were on site at TESAT for the review. […]
Space Safety News
New Shepard suffers in-flight abort on uncrewed suborbital flight
A problem with Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle caused an in-flight abort a minute after liftoff Sept. 12, causing a capsule filled with payloads but not people to fire its launch abort motor and parachute to a safe landing.
Congress asks for more transparency into New Shepard failure investigation
Leaders of the House space subcommittee have asked the Federal Aviation Administration for more details on its investigation into a Blue Origin New Shepard launch accident.
Japan, Germany declare moratorium on anti-satellite missile tests
Japan and Germany pledged this week not to conduct direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile testing, throwing their weight behind the U.S.-driven initiative launched in April to promote peaceful and safe use of outer space.
FCC to set five-year deadline for deorbiting LEO satellites
The FCC wants to require operators of low Earth orbit satellites to deorbit their spacecraft within five years after their mission ends, a much shorter timeframe than currently required.
National Space Society statement regarding the Orbital Sustainability Act of 2022
On September 12th, the Orbital Sustainability Act of 2022 (ORBITS Act) was introduced to the Senate The National Space Society (NSS) applauds the U.S. Government’s leadership in orbital debris management. The ORBITS Act strongly aligns with the goals of both the National Orbital Debris Implementation Plan and Space Policy Directive-3. NSS supports this historic effort and urges Congress to pass this bill as soon as possible.These proceedings include the following: Mitigation of Orbital Debris in the New Space Age (IB Docket No. 18-313); Facilitating Capabilities for In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (IB Docket No. 22-272); and Space Innovation (IB Docket No. 22-271).
NASA funds projects to study orbital debris, space sustainability
Science &Technology News
Solar Orbiter Solves Magnetic Switchback Mystery
With data from its closest pass of the Sun yet, the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has found compelling clues as to the origin of magnetic switchbacks, and points towards how their physical formation mechanism might help accelerate the solar wind. Solar Orbiter has made the first ever remote sensing observation consistent with a magnetic phenomenon called a solar switchback – sudden and large deflections of the solar wind’s magnetic field.
