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SpaceX is gearing up for the third launch of Starship as soon as this morning. SpaceX said it was working towards a launch towards the end of a 110-minute launch window that opened at 8 a.m. Eastern. SpaceX received an updated FAA launch license late Wednesday, the final regulatory milestone for the launch. This third launch of Starship and its Super Heavy booster will include several tests not planned for the first two flights, and would conclude with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean a little more than an hour after liftoff if all goes well. [SpaceX]
A malfunction during a Chinese launch Wednesday may have doomed two lunar spacecraft. A Long March 2C rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 8:51 a.m. Eastern, but there was no official report of the launch until early Thursday, when Chinese media said there was a malfunction with the rocket's Yuanzheng-1S upper stage. The rocket was carrying the DRO-A and -B satellites, intended to test lunar navigation technologies, likely in a distant retrograde orbit around the moon. It's unclear what orbit the spacecraft are in now and if their mission can be salvaged. [SpaceNews]
The Space Force's Space Development Agency is marking its fifth anniversary as it continues work on two satellite constellations. The SDA is requesting about $4.25 billion for fiscal year 2025 to continue development of a Transport Layer of data communications satellites that will serve as a tactical network to move data collected by a Tracking Layer of infrared sensors to users around the world. That is a far cry from the agency's origins, when it struggled to secure funding amid skepticism from Congress and within the Pentagon. SDA Director Derek Tournear said in a recent interview that the agency had to "ruffle feathers" as part of being disruptive. He noted that SDA is working with contractors on supply chain issues while working to bring in new vendors to bid on future satellite contracts. [SpaceNews]
NASA is restructuring a major Earth science program to compensate for reduced budgets. NASA said in its fiscal year 2025 budget proposal it was making major changes to the Earth System Observatory line of missions, intended to collect key data identified in the most recent decadal survey. In a town hall meeting Wednesday, agency officials said the changes include splitting larger missions into several smaller ones, relying more on international partners and turning some agency-led directed missions into ones open for competition. Those changes are intended to reduce costs, but will result in some delays and loss of instruments as well. [SpaceNews]
Terran Orbital is now offering a small GEO satellite. The company unveiled Thursday a line of spacecraft called SmallSat GEO weighing 500 kilograms and more. The satellites are intended to serve growing interest in GEO satellites much smaller than the traditional multi-ton GEO communications satellites. The new product line announcement comes as Terran Orbital weighs an offer to be acquired by Lockheed Martin. [SpaceNews]
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SpaceX scrubbed a Starlink launch Wednesday night. The company had planned to launch the Group 6-44 Starlink mission on a Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday evening, but scrubbed the launch about two minutes before the scheduled 9:25 p.m. Eastern liftoff. SpaceX did not disclose the reason for the scrub but says it will try again tonight at 7:04 p.m. Eastern. [Spaceflight Now]
Satellite operators are making unusual partnerships in order to provide customers with multi-orbit services. Those partnerships, like deals Intelsat and SES made with OneWeb and Starlink, point to a future of mixed space networks spanning multiple orbits. Hybrid networks that were once considered niche are now becoming a dominant trend in the satellite communications industry. Collaboration and partnership models are becoming the norm for operators to stay relevant and meet the complex demands of customers who want to ensure continuous connectivity even in challenging situations. [SpaceNews]
Omnispace says its proposed satellite constellation could provide direct-to-device services in Africa. Omnispace announced an agreement this week with MTN, Africa's largest terrestrial mobile network operator, where they will use Omnispace prototype satellites to test how S-band spectrum could be used to keep mobile customers connected outside cell tower coverage. Omnispace has announced similar testing agreements with mobile phone operators in several other countries, and also recently announced winning regulatory approval provide services in Brazil. Omnispace expects to provide initial services in 2026 with 300 LEO satellites. [SpaceNews]
A startup has won a $15 million contract to update computer systems at U.S. Space Force launch ranges. Colorado Springs-based Defense Unicorns won a so-called Strategic Funding Increase, or STRATFI, agreement from SpaceWERX, the technology arm of the Space Force. The contract will go towards updating IT systems and software applications used to support rocket launches. The company last week announced it raised a $35 million Series A funding round led by Sapphire Ventures and Ansa Capital. [SpaceNews]
A company led by two former Blue Origin executives has confirmed its interest in mining helium-3 from the moon. Interlune said Wednesday it has raised $15 million to start work on technologies that could be used to extract that rare isotope, often linked to future nuclear fusion reactors, from the lunar surface. Interlune was founded by Rob Meyerson and Gary Lai, the former president and chief architect, respectively, of Blue Origin. The announcement confirmed earlier reports about both the interest in the company and its interest in helium-3. [Ars Technica]
| | It's Five O'Clock Somewhere in the Universe
"A team of astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope discovered key ingredients for making potentially habitable worlds, and perhaps a cocktail, around two baby stars, NASA said Wednesday."
– from a CBS News story on the discovery of chemicals including ethanol in James Webb Space Telescope observations of protostars.
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