Betting on a Blue Moon in 2025 — SpaceNews This Week

Top stories from SpaceNews this week

View this email in your browser A weekly roundup of the top SpaceNews stories from this week, every Friday SpaceX launched a 50-satellite rideshare mission, Astra Space agreed to go private at 50-cents a share, Iridium is absorbing customer Satelles, and Astranis sold a small GEO satellite to Thaicom. Our Top Story Blue Origin aims to launch first lunar lander in 2025 Jeff Foust, March 8, 2024 WASHINGTON — Blue Origin expects to launch the first version of its Blue Moon lunar lander, a precursor to a future crewed lunar lander it is developing for NASA, in 2025. "This lander, we're expecting to land on the moon between 12 to 16 months from today," said John Couluris, senior vice president of lunar permanence at Blue Origin, referring to a full-sized mockup of the lander behind him. "That is what our team is aiming towards." The Mark 1 lander is a cargo vehicle that is a technology demonstrator. Blue Origin disclosed the mockup in October and said at the time it planned to launch its first Mark 1 lander, designated MK1-SN001, on a "Pathfinder Mission" to test key technologies such as its BE-7 engine. Other News From the Week COMMERCIAL Astra agrees to go private Spacecraft propulsion and launch company Astra Space announced March 7 that it accepted a revised proposal made by Chris Kemp and Adam London, chief executive and chief technology officer respectively, on Feb. 24 to take the company private at $0.50 per share. That price was just one third of what the two originally offered in a November 2023 proposal to take the company private at $1.50 per share. Thaicom orders small GEO satellite from Astranis for a launch in 2025 Thaicom has ordered a small geostationary satellite from Astranis for a launch in 2025 to provide broadband to some of the most remote and unconnected areas in Asia. Iridium to take over GPS backup provider for $115 million Iridium Communications announced plans March 4 to buy out Satelles, which provides a backup for GPS via the satellite operator's L-band network. Iridium is spending about $115 million to buy the 80% of Satelles it does not already own in a deal they expect to complete April 1. LAUNCH SpaceX adds tests to next Starship flight SpaceX said March 6 it was projecting a launch of Starship/Super Heavy vehicle on its third integrated test flight as soon as March 14. The third flight will follow a different profile than the first two, projecting a splashdown in the Indian Ocean nearly 65 minutes after liftoff. "This new flight path enables us to attempt new techniques like in-space engine burns while maximizing public safety," the company stated. China to debut large reusable rockets in 2025 and 2026 China's main state-owned contractor plans test flights for two new large diameter reusable rockets in the next couple of years, despite existing commercial reusability efforts. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) plans to launch four-meter and five-meter-diameter reusable rockets for the first time in 2025 and 2026 respectively,Wang Wei, a deputy to the National People's Congress, said March 4. SpaceX launches tenth Transporter rideshare mission SpaceX launched more than 50 smallsats on its latest rideshare mission March 4, a service that continues to have strong demand from satellite developers but which also poses space situational awareness challenges. CIVIL New congressional caucus seeks to build support for NASA's planetary science programs As NASA's planetary science programs face reduced budgets this year and uncertain prospects for next year, advocates in Congress are banding together to build up support for them. China outlines position on use of space resources In a document filed with a U.N. working group examining the legal issues associated with space resource utilization, the Chinese government said it considers such activities permissible under international law, but added they need to comply with the Outer Space Treaty, such as provisions prohibiting countries from making territorial claims on the moon or other celestial bodies. NASA studies to examine commercial partnerships for Mars exploration NASA expects to have a better understanding by this summer of potential commercial partnerships to support future Mars science missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued a request for proposals Jan. 29 for "commercial service studies" for future robotic Mars mission concepts. The studies, with a value of $200,000 or $300,000, would be carried out over 12 weeks. MILITARY U.S. general warns of Russia's enduring space threat despite Ukraine woes "Russia's struggles following their invasion of Ukraine should not create a false sense of confidence that Moscow is fading in the space domain," Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of U.S. Space Command, said March 5 in remarks at the Potomac Officers Club 2024 Space Summit. Planet Labs gets U.S. Navy contract for maritime surveillance in the Pacific Planet Labs will supply satellite imagery to the U.S. Navy's Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific for vessel detection and monitoring, the company announced March 5. Planet's electro-optical imagery will be shared via SeaVision, a web-based platform used by the U.S. and allies to improve maritime domain awareness. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific last year awarded a contract to HawkEye 360 to integrate radio-frequency data in SeaVision.   Space Force's weather-imaging mission takes flight again after initial setback A small satellite mission funded by the U.S. Space Force to provide weather data from LEO launched March 4 aboard the SpaceX Transporter-10 rideshare mission. This marked the Space Force's second attempt to deploy the weather-imaging mission, a year after the initial Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Weather Systems (EWS) demonstration satellite failed to separate from its launch vehicle. Upcoming SpaceNews Events Copyright (C) 2024 Multiverse Media Inc.. All rights reserved. You signed up to receive this newsletter on Spacenews.com. At times you may receive marketing material. Our mailing address is: Multiverse Media Inc. 100 Fillmore St. 5th Floor Denver, CO 80206 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe