LET’S KEEP AN OPEN DIALOGUE ON HOW TO PROTECT SATELLITES ON ORBIT - The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs estimated there are at least 8,261 satellites orbiting the Earth. These assets, worth upward of two trillion dollars, enable our national security, economy and civil society. As the National Space Council recognized, space is a “source of American innovation and opportunity.”  Yet satellites on orbit remain remarkably unprotected.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 7)

GROWTH OF SSA SYSTEMS COULD CREATE PROBLEMS FOR SATELLITE OPERATORS - The growth of space situational awareness (SSA) capabilities worldwide, intended to better track satellites and debris in orbit, could instead create confusion for satellite operators, one official warned. Speaking at the annual conference of the Global Network on Sustainability in Space (GNOSIS) Nov. 30, Richard DalBello, director of the U.S. Office of Space Commerce, said one issue he is watching is how emerging SSA systems elsewhere should cooperate on exchanging data and predictions of potential collisions.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 6)

SPACEX UNVEILS ‘STARSHIELD,’ A MILITARY VARIATION OF STARLINK SATELLITES - Elon Musk’s SpaceX is expanding its Starlink satellite technology into military applications with a new business line called Starshield. Starshield is likely to further tap the company’s biggest U.S. government customer – the Pentagon – which already represents a high-value buyer of SpaceX’s launches and has shown significant interest in the capabilities of Starlink. “While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use,” the company wrote on its website.   More
(Source: CNBC - Dec 6)

ASTROCAST EXPANDS COMMERCIAL CONSTELLATION TO 14 SATELLITES - Nanosatellite IoT network operator, Astrocast launched four new 3U Spacecraft to expand its commercial constellation to 14 satellites. This is a significant milestone for the Swiss startup, as this launch made it "one of the top 40 satellite operators in the world, based on the number of satellites currently in orbit". The new satellites will strengthen the reliability of the operator's network and provide direct-to-satellite, highly secured connectivity to users worldwide.    More
(Source: TelecomTalk - Dec 5)

CHINA'S SHENZHOU 14 ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO EARTH AFTER HELPING BUILD TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China's Shenzhou 14 astronauts have handed over control of the Tiangong space station and returned to Earth. The return capsule from the mission's Shenzhou spacecraft set down safely after sunset within the Dongfeng landing area in the Gobi Desert in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Sunday (Dec. 4) at around 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT, 8:00 p.m. local time), about nine hours after undocking from the country's recently completed Tiangong space station.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 5)

ASTRONAUTS INSTALL NEW SOLAR ARRAY OUTSIDE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio headed outside the International Space Station Saturday for a seven-hour spacewalk to install and unfurl a new roll-out solar array recently delivered by a SpaceX cargo ship. Cassada and Rubio, both on their first flights to space, began the spacewalk at 7:16 a.m. EST (1216 GMT) Saturday. The start of the excursion was officially marked when the astronauts switch their spacesuits to battery power.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 4)

FCC APPROVES SPACEX’S STARLINK GEN 2 APPLICATION UP TO 7,500 SATELLITES - The FCC approved part of SpaceX’s application for the second generation of the Starlink constellation, which will allow SpaceX to deploy up to 7,500 satellites. The order was a partial approval, because SpaceX had requested approval for 29,988 satellites, and the order also put additional constraints on the system.  The FCC’s partial approval released Dec. 1 worked to strike a balance of approving the system in order to bridge the digital divide, while protecting against orbital debris and spectrum interference and responding to other operators’ concerns.    More
(Source: Via Satellite - Dec 3)

ASTRONOMERS DENOUNCE SUPER-BRIGHT NEW BLUEWALKER 3 SATELLITE - Astronomers are increasingly concerned about the future of the night sky as new images show shocking trails left by a massive communications satellite against otherwise clear, dark patches of sky. In September, AST SpaceMobile launched the first satellite of a new constellation into orbit, paving the way for a system of cell phone towers in space. This prototype, known as BlueWalker 3, carries the largest antenna of any commercial communications satellite to date — and it's now one of the brightest things in the sky, outshining even some of the most famous stars.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 2)

CHINA HAS 6 ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE FOR THE 1ST TIME - China currently has six astronauts in orbit for the first time as the country carries out a space station crew handover. Three astronauts launched aboard the Shenzhou 15 spacecraft on Tuesday (Nov. 29) and docked with the Tiangong space station 6.5 hours later. Chen Dong, commander of the three-person Shenzhou 14 crew already aboard the newly-completed Tiangong, opened the hatch between the space station and spacecraft at 6:33 p.m. EST (2333 GMT).   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 2)

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