Growing In-Flight Data Demand Driving Aviation SATCOM Antenna Market
NASA Selects Emily Nelson as Chief Flight Director
NASA has named Emily Nelson its new chief flight director, leading the group that directs human spaceflight missions from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Norm Knight, the agency’s director of flight operations, selected Nelson to replace Holly Ridings, who held the position from 2018 to 2022, and now…
Panasonic Conducts Space-Exposure Tests for Electronic Materials
Panasonic Industry recently announced that it is conducting space exposure experiments of its electronic circuit board materials and underfill for board-level reinforcement. The materials were launched into space in March 2023 on the Exposed Facility of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo onboard the International Space Station (ISS) for about six months. In recent years, the aerospace industry has accelerated the development of space technologies and solutions intending to solve environmental and…
Starship, Uncrewed, Explodes After Launch
SpaceX’s Starship exploded in midair during its first launch attempt. This powerful rocket one of the most powerful ever constructed, was uncrewed. The SpaceX Starship launched for the test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20. “Starship just experienced what we call a rapid unplanned disassembly,” an official said on the broadcast. SpaceX has…
Space Launch: Are We Heading for Oversupply or a Shortfall?
By Chris Daehnick, John Gang, and Ilan Rozenkopf To serve an expanding space economy, nearly 7,500 active satellites orbit Earth and about 50 on average are taking to the skies every week.1 Many operate as part of multi- satellite constellations—serving commercial applications from remote sensing to communications to navigation. Governments are also expanding their satellite…
Update: Expectations Versus Reality for Commercial Satellite Constellations
by Ryan Brukardt, Jesse Klempner and Brooke Stokes Interest in building and launching commercial satellite constellations continues to be high because of recent technological advances and cost reductions, combined with better access to capital. While some industry analysts feared that private investment in the space sector would plummet from the record highs achieved in 2021,…
NASA Launches Entrepreneurs Challenge to Advance the Agency’s Science Goals for Humanity
Today, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate launched the 2023 NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge. This year’s Challenge recognizes and supports entrepreneurs working on technology that advances the agency’s science goals, particularly in lunar exploration and climate science. Reaching for new heights and revealing the unknown for the benefit of humanity doesn’t just require groundbreaking technologies; it requires visionary people. There are…
Safran to Provide GNSS Simulation Solutions for Xona Space System’s Low-Earth-Orbit Constellation and Navigation Signals
Orolia, a Safran Electronics & Defense company, has announced a partnership with Xona Space Systems to develop support for Xona’s Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) constellation and navigation signals in its Skydel-powered simulation and testing products. Xona is developing PULSAR – a high-performance positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) service enabled by a commercial constellation of dedicated LEO satellites….
NASA Announces Four Astronauts to Fly Around Moon
Artemis II is NASA’s first mission with crew aboard our foundational deep space rocket, the Space Launch System, and Orion spacecraft and will confirm all the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space. The mission will pave the way to way for lunar surface missions, including by…
Lockheed Martin Selected As Preferred Bidder For JP9102
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) welcomes today’s announcement that it has been selected by the Commonwealth of Australia as the preferred bidder for Project JP9102, the Australian Defence Satellite Communications System. The multi-billion dollar JP9102 project will provide the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with a sovereign military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) system defined by its extensibility, agility…
Inmarsat Government GX LITE Terminal Wins the Government Mobile Innovation Category in the MSUA 2023 Satellite Mobile Innovation Awards
Inmarsat Government’s GX LITE land user terminal was selected as a winner of the Mobile Satellite User Association’s (MSUA) 2023 Satellite Mobile Innovation Awards. The terminal won the Government Mobile Innovation category, marking the seventh time in eight years that Inmarsat was honored as a winner of the prestigious, annual award. The new GX LITE…
Lockheed Martin and Northumbria University Join Forces to Unlock the Future of Space-Based Solar Power
Lockheed Martin is celebrating STEM in British Science Week with Northumbria University by investing £150,000 in a project that aims to accelerate the delivery of space-based solar power. Combining science and technology, the project will use specialized photovoltaic cells that will collect and convert laser power into usable power for future space and lunar vehicles. With this…
th Operational Crew Flight to ISS’>SpaceX Launches 6th Operational Crew Flight to ISS
By James T. McKenna SpaceX launched its sixth operational human mission for NASA in March 2’s first moments, with a new Falcon 9 booster lofting four crewmembers from Florida in a flight-proven Dragon capsule to the International Space Station. The Crew 6 mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program lifted off on time at 12:34 a.m….