 | Top Stories
NASA is changing the operating mode of the Hubble Space Telescope after one of its gyros malfunctioned. The agency said Tuesday that after one of three remaining gyros went offline in late May, the latest in a series of problems with that gyro, it would switch the telescope into a single-gyro mode, using one of the other two working gyros while putting the other into reserve. That approach is intended to maximize the life of the telescope, with a 70% chance that at least one gyro will be working into the mid-2030s. The single-gyro mode does reduce the efficiency of Hubble observations and limits the telescope's ability to observe some objects. Officials said they would not pursue options for a private mission to reboost or repair Hubble, like the one studied by SpaceX, concluding the risks were too high at this time. [SpaceNews]
Iridium has won a $94 million contract to provide communications support services for the Defense Department. The award by the Space Systems Command's Commercial Space Office (COMSO) within the U.S. Space Force is for ground infrastructure services in support of the Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) program. eESS is designed specifically for the DoD and approved users that provides communication services through Iridium's satellite network, effectively "a giant DoD family plan" for global satellite communications. [SpaceNews]
Eutelsat is betting its future on providing multi-orbit broadband services. With its acquisition of OneWeb last year, Eutelsat is the only major GEO satellite operator which also has an operational LEO constellation. In an interview, CEO Eva Berneke said the company is seeing strong demand from mobile backhaul and maritime markets, and expects aeronautical multi-orbit services to emerge in 2025. She said she doesn't expect the acquisition of Intelsat by SES to significantly alter the landscape for multi-orbit services. The company is also planning a "progressive" deployment of a second-generation OneWeb constellation, allowing it to gradually introduce new technologies. [SpaceNews]
Satellite manufacturing startup K2 Space will launch its first mission later this year. The spacecraft, launching on SpaceX's Transporter-12 rideshare mission in October, will be a tech demo mission to test key subsystems the company is developing for its Mega Class satellite bus. That bus is a large spacecraft designed to accommodate payloads weighing 1,000 kilograms with 20 kilowatts of power, optimized to take advantage of low-cost launch options like Falcon 9. The company recently was selected by Space Force and Space Development Agency for a $3.8 million Tactical Funding Increase, or TACFI, award to fly DoD payloads on its first Mega Class satellite, and has signed a contract with an unnamed global satellite communications operator to study using that bus for a constellation. [SpaceNews]
European startup Revolv Space is looking to find a niche in providing key subsystems for small satellites. The company, which recently raised 2.6 million euros, is working to develop the type of mechanisms and moving parts common on large satellites for the growing small satellite market. It is focusing on power-generation components, with its first product, a solar array drive assembly, sold to two customers so far. [SpaceNews]
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| Other News
Rocket Lab launched the second NASA PREFIRE cubesat Tuesday night. An Electron rocket lifted off from the company's New Zealand spaceport at 11:15 p.m. Eastern and placed the PREFIRE, or Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment, cubesat into sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite joins a twin spacecraft launched on another Electron a week and a half earlier. The mission will use the cubesats to measure infrared emissions at the poles to improve weather and climate models. [SpaceNews]
SpaceX launched another set of Starlink satellites, some with direct-to-cell payloads, Tuesday night. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 10:16 p.m. Eastern and placed 20 Starlink satellites into orbit. Thirteen of the satellites have direct-to-cell payloads, with more than 50 such spacecraft now in orbit. The launch took place on the 14th anniversary of the first Falcon 9 launch. [Spaceflight Now]
SpaceX has secured an updated FAA launch license for its next Starship launch. The license will allow SpaceX to proceed with Thursday morning's scheduled launch of the fourth Starship/Super Heavy test flight from Boca Chica, Texas. The license includes provisions that could allow SpaceX to speed up future flights by allowing SpaceX to skip an investigation in certain failure scenarios that do not pose safety risks to the uninvolved public. [Ars Technica]
A law firm has created a "regulatory calculator" to assist space companies. The Space Regulatory Calculator is an online tool by Aegis Space Law designed to assist startups with licensing and other requirements from federal agencies like the FAA, FCC and NOAA. It will help companies determine what licenses and permits they need and the schedules for obtaining them. [SpaceNews]
Axiom Space has performed the first integrated test of the spacesuits it is developing for NASA's Artemis lunar missions. In the test, NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, now Axiom's director of human spaceflight, wore the suits in a test involving a mockup of the SpaceX Starship lunar lander. The test was designed to see how well the suits integrated with lander systems. Axiom has also tested the suit in NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, although so far without an astronaut inside. [Axiom Space]
| |  | Suddenly Seems Important
"We go and we meet with these people, these experts, and the stuff they're thinking of and all the details, many times I've been like, 'Wow. I'm really glad you thought of that,' because that suddenly seems really important to me and I hadn't thought of it yet."
– Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, talking about planning for the Artemis 2 mission during a panel discussion Tuesday. [Washington Post]
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