 | Top Stories
Lockheed Martin will acquire small satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital. The companies announced Thursday a deal where Lockheed will pay $0.25 per share and retire Terran's debt. Lockheed, which already owns one-third of Terran, had offered $1 a share for the company in March but withdrew the offer two months later. The companies said that Terran Orbital will continue to be a "commercial merchant supplier to industry" of smallsats, although Lockheed makes up more than 90% of Terran's funded backlog today. Terran Orbital said earlier in the week it was considering a range of strategic options that included a sale of the company as its cash reserves dried up. [SpaceNews]
AST SpaceMobile is starting work on a new set of larger direct-to-device satellites. The company said it is building 17 Block 2 BlueBird satellites, the first of which would be ready as soon as the first quarter of 2025. The Block 2 satellites will have antennas with an area of 223 square meters, compared to the 64-square-meter antennas on its Block 1 satellites. The company expects to launch the five Block 1 satellites on a Falcon 9 next month. The company bolstered its balance sheet in the quarter thanks to an investment from Verizon and a sale of stock, taking advantage of the company's higher share price. [SpaceNews]
NASA is assessing a plan that could allow the OSAM-1 satellite servicing technology demonstration mission to continue. NASA announced in March it would cancel the mission, citing its cost overruns and delays, but was directed by Congress to try to develop a plan that would keep the mission within its existing budget profile and allow a launch in 2026. In an earnings call this week, Intuitive Machines, which has an engineering services contract with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said it worked with NASA to create such a plan but provided no details about what changes to the mission it would entail. NASA said Thursday that it is evaluating that plan as well as a separate plan also developed by the mission to close the project out. A Senate appropriations bill for 2025 does fund OSAM-1 provided NASA can develop a "reasonable and executable plan" for flying it, while the House bill does not set aside funding for the mission. [SpaceNews]
China is considering communications relay systems in both Earth and lunar orbits to support a future lunar base. China operates the Queqiao ("Magpie Bridge") relay system in lunar orbit to facilitate communications between the Earth and moon and would expand it to support its International Lunar Research Station program. Those satellites would communicate directly to Earth, but rely on ground stations located outside China that officials note bring with them geopolitical risks. Chinese researchers have proposed linking the Queqiao with Earth orbit satellites, like the Tianlian data relay system, to provide improved coverage without needing ground stations outside China. [SpaceNews]
| | | 
| Other News
SpaceX launched a second pair of WorldView Legion imaging satellites for Maxar Thursday. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 9 a.m. Eastern and placed the two satellites into low Earth orbit. The satellites will operate in mid-inclination orbits, complementing those in sun-synchronous orbits for improved coverage between 45 degrees north and south latitudes. [SpaceNews]
India launched an Earth observation satellite on a small launch vehicle late Thursday. The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 11:47 p.m. Eastern. It placed ito orbit the EOS-08 satelite for the Indian space agency ISRO as well as the SR-0 DEMOSAT picosatellite for Space Kidz India. EOS-08 carries payloads for Earth imaging and atmospheric monitoring as well as a radiation sensor that will provide data for the Gananyaan human spaceflight program. The launch was the third and final development flight of the SSLV, which failed in its first launch two years ago but reached orbit on the second flight in early 2023. [SpaceNews]
China launched a set of reconnaissance satellites early Friday. A Long March 4B rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 3:35 a.m. Eastern carrying a payload designated as Yaogan-43 (01). The payload appears to feature up to nine satellites that the Chinese government said will be used "to carry out new technology experiments for the low-orbit constellation system." Yaogan satellites are typically linked to military programs, and it was not clear what constellation the government statement referred to. [SpaceNews]
Russia is on track for is lowest number of annual launches in more than six decades. A Soyuz launch of a Progress cargo spacecraft Wednesday night was just the ninth launch of the year by Russia, a pace that would lead to the lowest annual total of launches since 1961. Andrei Yelchaninov, a deputy director of Roscosmos, told Russian media that Russia's space program is still working to emerge from a financial crisis he said was triggered by cancellations of commercial launch contracts after Russia's invasion of Ukraine two and a half years ago. He said Russia is continuing to work on new projects, like a space station and reusable launch vehicles, but it uncertain when, or if, they will fly. [Ars Technica]
The asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs came from beyond Jupiter. Scientists published Thursday a chemical analysis of rocks at the Chicxulub impact site in Mexico, where a large asteroid struck the Earth 66 million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs and many other species. That analysis concluded that the asteroid was likely a carbonaceous chondrite, a type of asteroid that formed in the outer solar system. Other researchers said the object was likely perturbed into the inner solar system by gravitational interactions with the planets. [Science]
| |  | Actual Space People
"It's such an honor to be on this with so many actual space people. We pretend, but you guys actually do it."
– Star Trek actress Jeri Ryan, speaking at a "Space Cadets for Harris" online fundraising event Thursday that included several former astronauts as well as Star Trek actors and others.
| | Nominate the Best in Space
The 2024 SpaceNews Icon Awards are now accepting nominations! Since 2017, these awards have celebrated the leaders, innovators, and trailblazers in the space industry. This year, we're expanding our recognition across a broader range of categories to honor those making significant contributions to space exploration, technology, and leadership.
🗳️ Do you know a company, individual, or team that deserves to be recognized? Nominate them today! Categories include Emerging Space Company, Mission Excellence, Innovative Technology, and more.
Submit Your Nomination Here
🎉Join us in celebrating excellence in the space industry. Nominations are open until Friday, Sept. 6. Don't miss your chance to highlight those who are shaping the future of space.
📆 Save the Date:
The 2024 SpaceNews Icon Awards will be held Friday, Dec. 6, at Washington, D.C.'s Intercontinental Hotel at the Wharf. Stay tuned for more details. | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment