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A Delta 4 Heavy launched Tuesday in the final flight of any Delta rocket. The Delta 4 Heavy lifted off at 12:53 p.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the NROL-70 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. The launch was delayed from late March because of problems with a nitrogen distribution system at the Cape. The launch was the 16th and final mission for the Delta 4 Heavy since its introduction in late 2004, most of which were for classified missions. It was also the final flight of any vehicle in the Delta family going back to 1960. [SpaceNews]
NASA announced a new space sustainability strategy Tuesday that seeks to better understand the risks posed by orbital debris. The document, announced by NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy at Space Symposium, sets six goals for studying space sustainability issues in low Earth orbit, starting with setting up a foundational framework for the problem and identifying key uncertainties. The strategy would then go on to technology investments as well as policy changes and increased coordination with other space users. Melroy said that it's premature to estimate the funding needed for the issue, citing the need to first identify key challenges. [SpaceNews]
The NRO says it is developing a more diverse fleet of satellites alongside an overhaul of its ground systems. Troy Meink, principal deputy director of the NRO, said the agency is looking to develop a more diverse satellite architecture, including smaller and more maneuverable spacecraft. The NRO is also overhauling its satellite ground architecture, investing heavily in new technologies like AI and machine learning to help process the flood of data coming from its expanding satellite network. [SpaceNews]
The Space Force is making the best of a constrained budget. The service received $29 billion in fiscal year 2024, above the $26.1 billion it received in 2023 but less than the $30 billion requested for 2024. Analysts say that while growth is less than expected, it is still a sign of the importance of space in national security. They added the budget does preserve many key Space Force programs, including the Space Development Agency's constellations. [SpaceNews]
U.S. Space Command will expand international collaboration on a space defense initiative. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, said at Space Symposium Tuesday that Germany, France and New Zealand have been invited to join Operation Olympic Defender, a U.S.-led initiative to jointly strengthen defenses and deter hostility that already includes England, Australia and Canada. Preparing for military operations with U.S. allies and partners is one of U.S. Space Command's top priorities, he said, along with training and testing "that convinces us that these capabilities will work in a conflict which has never happened." [SpaceNews]
Space startups are finding it harder to close growth-stage funding rounds amid increasing investor scrutiny. A panel of investment bankers at Space Symposium Tuesday said poor trading performance of early-stage space companies listed on the stock exchange in recent years, coupled with the end of cheap capital as interest rates rise, is weighing on businesses' ability to build scale in the market. Although there is still plenty of capital for early-stage rounds, securing greater capital needs in later Series B and C rounds is particularly challenging. [SpaceNews]
ESA is restarting work on its ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission. ESA announced Tuesday that it awarded a contract worth 522 million euros ($567 million) to a team led by Thales Alenia Space to resume work on the mission, which was halted in 2022 when ESA ended cooperation with Russia. The funding will go towards the development of a new landing platform for the Rosalind Franklin rover. NASA is also partnering on the mission, providing components and a launch, now scheduled for late 2028. [SpaceNews]
| | Scientific Discovery Begins with L3Harris
For more than 20 years, every U.S. Martian rover mission and orbiting spacecraft has relied on L3Harris' transceivers and power and propulsion technology, including NASA's Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity and Perseverance vehicles. In fact, we've propelled missions to explore not only Mars – but every planet in the solar system and beyond. Learn more about our space capabilities here. | | Other News
SpaceX launched another set of Starlink satellite early Wednesday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 1:40 a.m. Eastern and deployed 23 Starlink satellites. The launch was just the second for the Falcon 9 booster B1083, which made its debut last month launching NASA's Crew-8 mission. [Spaceflight Now]
Russia again scrubbed an Angara launch this morning. Liftoff of the Angara-A5 rocket was scheduled for 5 a.m. Eastern but was scrubbed because of a problem in an engine control system, Roscosmos announced. A launch attempt Tuesday was also scrubbed because of a problem with a pressurization system in an oxidizer tank. The launch has been tentatively rescheduled for Thursday. [TASS]
Relativity Space will not bid, for now, on a national security launch contract. A company executive said Relativity is putting its initial bid for National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 contracts on hold as it works on its Terran R rocket. That vehicle won't fly until 2026 at the earliest, which falls outside the timeframe for this year's NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 awards. Relativity will instead seek to on-ramp to the contract next year, once it is within 12 months of its first launch. [SpaceNews]
The new CEO of satellite operator SES says he plans to draw on his experience from outside the space industry. IT veteran Adel Al-Saleh took over the European satellite operator in February, and in an interview said he wants to use his AI and terrestrial network expertise to position SES to meet future broadband needs. He said the industry needs to adapt to a fast-changing environment: "Doing things the way we did them for decades is not going to work anymore." [SpaceNews]
Planet unveiled a platform Tuesday that merges Earth-observation datasets with Sentinel Hub cloud-based analytics and tools. The Planet Insights Platform is designed to help government and commercial customers rapidly analyze, stream and distribute data, and is designed for customers focused on change detection. Planet obtained Sentinel Hub in its acquisition last year of Slovenian startup Sinergise Labs. [SpaceNews]
Astrobotic is partnering with Canadian software company Mission Control on a lunar rover mission. The companies announced this week their collaboration on Astrobotic's first CubeRover, a shoebox-sized rover that will hitch a ride on the Griffin-1 lander carrying the much larger VIPER rover for NASA. Mission Control's Spacefarer software will be used to operate the rover from control rooms in both companies' headquarters. The Canadian Space agency supported development of Spacefarer through its Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program. [SpaceNews]
SpaceWERX is teaming up with the Aerospace Corporation to help mature key space technologies. SpaceWERX, the tech innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force, and Aerospace said they would create a "Technology Readiness Level" (TRL) bootcamp lab in El Segundo, California, an initiative to help nurture promising technologies through the proverbial "valley of death" between early funding and product maturation. The bootcamp is designed to guide companies through a structured framework that assesses the maturity of their technologies and help them progress up the TRL scale. [SpaceNews]
| | Strange Indeed
"The government needs to start trusting prime contractors and not piecemealing the work. It's a strange expression, but you need a single neck to choke."
– Former NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, speaking Tuesday at the 39th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.
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