VIRGIN GALACTIC WILL ORGANIZE PRIVATE PASSENGER TRIPS TO THE SPACE STATION FOR NASA - Richard Branson’s space tourism venture, Virgin Galactic, will start coordinating private astronaut trips to the International Space Station for NASA — a new partnership aimed at increasing commercial use of the space agency’s orbiting outpost. Thanks to a new Space Act Agreement with NASA, Virgin Galactic is tasked with putting together a “new private orbital astronaut readiness program,” for the agency. More (Source: The Verge - Jun 23)
MISSILE WARNING SATELLITE COMPLETES SPACE ENVIRONMENT TESTING - The Space Force’s next missile warning satellite has successfully completed two months of testing to ensure it will survive in the harsh environment of space, according to the program’s prime contractor Lockheed Martin. The company said that the fifth geosynchronous Space Based Infrared System satellite completed its thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing June 9... More (Source: C4ISRNet - Jun 22)
THE US NAVY RECENTLY LAUNCHED A POWER BEAMING SATELLITE INTO SPACE - Solar power has become a focal point of the battle to mitigate climate change. The potential of solar power is massive – Earth receives as much solar energy in an hour as all of humanity uses in a year. Even with that much energy hitting the Earth, it is only a tiny fraction of the sun's overall output. Some of that other solar energy hits other planets, but most is just lost to the void of deep space. More (Source: ScienceAlert - Jun 22)
U.S. MILITARY TO AWARD SMALLSAT LAUNCH CONTRACTS USING COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS - The U.S. military said this week it plans to award rideshare small satellite launch contracts to six U.S. companies using funds appropriated to help stabilize the defense industrial base amid the coronavirus pandemic. The monetary values of the planned firm fixed price contract awards was not released in the notice, which was published on a federal government procurement website Wednesday. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 20)
SATELLITE LAUNCH AIMS FOR INCREASED SCRUTINY OF METHANE EMITTERS - Energy and commodity producers releasing methane into the atmosphere will face increased scrutiny with the launch of the first satellite claiming the ability to monitor individual culprits. Iris -- a microwave-sized gadget set to be launched into orbit from French Guiana this weekend, weather permitting -- will be able to track methane released from oil and gas wells, coal mines, power plants, farms and factories around the globe, Stephane Germain, chief executive officer of Montreal-based developer GHGSat Inc., said in an interview. More (Source: Bloomberg - Jun 20)
ASTRONAUTS AND NASA PAY HOMAGE TO JUNETEENTH - Astronauts and NASA have taken to social media to commemorate today's Juneteenth holiday from Earth and space. Juneteenth, also known as African American Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, marks the date — June 19, 1865 — when tens of thousands of Africa-Americans in Texas were emancipated. While President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863 freed slaves in U.S., many of the Confederate states ignored it. More (Source: Space.com - Jun 20)
CHINA REVEALS DETAILS OF NEXT-GEN CREW SPACECRAFT'S 1ST TEST FLIGHT - A first glimpse inside the prototype of China's next-generation crew-carrying spacecraft has been provided in Beijing following a successful uncrewed test flight in May. The capsule, which has not yet been named, launched on a Long March 5B rocket from Wenchang on May 5, carrying out a first uncrewed test for future deep-space missions. More (Source: Space.com - Jun 20)
ZOMBIE SATELLITES RETURN FROM THE GRAVEYARD - New technology may help to bring dead satellites back to life. Earlier this year, the Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV), a spacecraft jointly managed by NASA and Northrop Grumman, made history when it resurrected a decrepit satellite from the satellite graveyard. Reviving the spacecraft is a key step in extending the lifetime of orbiting objects; a second mission is set to extend the lifetime of another satellite later this summer. More (Source: IEEE Spectrum - Jun 19)
SES SELECTS TWO US FIRMS TO BUILD FOUR NEW SATELLITES - SES has selected two US satellite manufacturers, Northrop Grumman and the Boeing Company, to deliver four new satellites as part of the company’s accelerated C-band clearing plan to meet the Federal Communications Commission’s objectives to roll-out 5G services. Northrop Grumman will deliver two flight-proven GeoStar-3 satellites, each equipped with a high-quality C-band payload to deliver the superior customer experience that end users are accustomed to. The two satellites – SES-18 and SES-19 – will be designed, assembled and tested in Dulles, Virginia. More (Source: SatelliteProME.com - Jun 18)
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