Friday, January 5, 2024

NASA-sponsored lunar payloads on tap for Vulcan's first launch

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Launch

Swedish satcom service provider Ovzon's first fully owned satellite lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Jan. 3, closing a chapter on years of launch and manufacturing setbacks for the broadband spacecraft.

SpaceX launched its first batch of Starlink satellites designed to connect directly to unmodified smartphones Jan. 2 after getting a temporary experimental license to start testing the capability in the United States.

The commercial arm of India's space agency ISRO announced Jan. 2 it will launch a large communications satellite later this year on a SpaceX Falcon 9, further underscoring SpaceX's dominance in the global launch market.

India launched an astronomy satellite to start a year that will feature key tests for its human spaceflight program and a potential joint crewed mission with NASA.

China launched three low Earth orbit broadband test satellites Friday, completing a record-breaking year for launches globally.

Civil

As a Mars helicopter continues to operate far past expectations, lessons from that vehicle are being incorporated into NASA's evolving Mars Sample Return plans.

NASA is making progress on a multibillion-dollar series of Earth science missions amid uncertainty about their funding for the next year.

Engaging social scientists when planning and development spaceports could ensure that they're made in an ethical, community-engaging way.

Japan's SLIM spacecraft entered lunar orbit Dec. 25, setting up a moon landing attempt scheduled for Jan. 19.

A NASA study examined several options for continuing a national laboratory in low Earth orbit after the International Space Station but stopped short of recommending a specific option.

Military

A tabletop exercise dubbed "Parallax Rising 2.2" shed light on the strategic and logistical considerations involved in satellite refueling operations.

The U.S. Space Force is soliciting proposals from the private sector for a new initiative — 'digital spaceport of the future' — focused on modernizing outdated information systems at the nation's space launch facilities.

Maxar Technologies announced Jan. 4 it secured a contract from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to provide advanced satellite imagery and data for 3D maps and models.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Dec. 28 launched the U.S. Space Force X-37B spaceplane to orbit for its seventh mission.

A national security space mission that had been projected to launch in December 2023 is being delayed until the second quarter of 2024 due to technical issues with one of the spacecraft.







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