 | Top Stories
The Space Development Agency (SDA) picked Terran Orbital and York Space Systems to build 20 additional low Earth orbit communications satellites. SDA announced Friday it awarded $254 million to Terran Orbital and $170 million to York Space to each build 10 Tranche 2 Transport Layer Gamma satellites. These satellites will form part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a constellation of data relay and sensor satellites designed to provide global communications and missile detection capabilities. The award was the first to Terran Orbital as a prime contractor rather than subcontractor, but came a day after the company agreed to be acquired by Lockheed Martin. [SpaceNews]
The head of U.S. Space Command says he supports efforts by the Army to build up its space expertise. Gen. Stephen Whiting said at a conference last week that the expertise of the Army and the other services is "absolutely vital" to military operations in the space domain. His comments came after an op-ed by senior fellows at the Mitchell Institute criticized plans by the Army to develop a new space-focused career field for enlisted soldiers, claiming it duplicated what the Space Force does. Whiting noted that U.S. Space Command benefits from the capabilities of all the branches of the military, and pointed out that the Army needs space expertise for maneuver warfare. [SpaceNews]
Two NASA smallsats set to launch to Mars on the first New Glenn flight have arrived in Florida. The twin ESCAPADE spacecraft are scheduled to launch in the fall on the Blue Origin rocket, although neither NASA nor the companies involved have announced a specific launch date or launch window. The spacecraft arrived from a Rocket Lab facility in California where they were assembled. Rocket Lab said that design constraints, like not knowing until a year and a half ago how the spacecraft would be launched, drove the design of the spacecraft with a focus on efficiencies. Rocket Lab is leveraging its expertise developing ESCAPADE for other spacecraft programs at the company. [SpaceNews]
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) plans to scale up a fleet of satellites for radio-frequency monitoring. The company launched its first four satellites last year using a cubesat design developed by Spire. SNC now plans to deploy 20 larger spacecraft over the next five years, starting with three built by Muon Space next June that will feature onboard AI processing capabilities. SNC sees a rising demand in the military sector for radio-frequency data, which can provide critical intelligence on activities like GPS jamming and enemy movements. [SpaceNews]
A Republican former NASA administrator has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, for president. At an online fundraising event last week, Sean O'Keefe said he was backing Harris because of her work on space leading the National Space Council as well as a lack of a Republican candidate "with the principles and policies I ever associated with Republicans." O'Keefe was NASA administrator for three years during the administration of President George W. Bush. The "Space Cadets 4 Harris" event featured speakers ranging from former astronauts to Star Trek actors who primarily focused on broader electoral issues rather than space policy specifics. [SpaceNews]
Sierra Space has emerged as a new suitor for United Launch Alliance. According to a report, the company has been in discussions with ULA's corporate parents, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, on a deal to acquire ULA for between $2 billion and $3 billion. While Boeing and Lockheed have been shopping ULA for some time, Sierra Space had not been linked to a deal previously, with speculation focusing on Blue Origin and private equity company Cerberus Capital Management. It is unclear how Sierra Space would finance such a deal while also continuing work on projects like its Dream Chaser spacecraft and commercial space station development. [Reuters]
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| Other News
SpaceX launched more than 100 smallsats on its latest rideshare mission Friday. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 2:56 p.m. Eastern from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Transporter-11 dedicated rideshare mission. On board the rocket were 116 payloads deployed into sun-synchronous orbits. The payloads included satellites from several constellation operators as well as two NASA technology demonstration smallsats and Earth observation satellites from ESA. The U.K. military also had its first high-resolution imaging satellite on the launch that is intended to be a pathfinder for a proposed constellation. SpaceX has now launched more than 1,000 satellites through its rideshare program. [SpaceNews]
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is on track to perform its first launch in a "matter of weeks." In a recent earnings call, Marco Fuchs, CEO of OHB, which owns nearly 65% of RFA, said all the stages for the first RFA ONE rocket are now at the SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands. A final set of static-fire tests of the first stage, followed by vehicle integration, are planned before the launch. RFA previously said it was projecting a launch in the third quarter of the year, although other officials said the launch could slip to later in the fall. Fuchs also said on the call that he expects to get the final government approvals soon to close a deal with investment firm KKR announced a year ago to take the company private. [SpaceNews]
Small launch vehicle developer Orbex is targeting a first launch in 2025. CEO Phil Chambers said in a recent interview that the company's launch site, Sutherland Spaceport in northern Scotland, should be complete by early 2025, but did not offer a specific date for the first launch of the company's Prime rocket. That rocket is designed for payloads of up to 180 kilograms, and he said that while other companies are moving to larger vehicles, Orbex will stay in that low end of the market for now, offering dedicated launches for customers going to orbits can't be reached on rideshare missions. [SpaceNews]
A space electronics company is making plans for further growth as its founding CEO retires. Spectrum AMT announced last week that Jeff Riggs, who co-founded the company 25 years ago, is retiring, and will be replaced by Jeff Gilbert, the company's former chief operating officer. The company started as a medical device specialist and later expanded into producing electronics for space systems. Spectrum AMT was sold last year to Ocutrx Technologies, a Californian medical manufacturing venture, but expects to see 40% annual growth in its space business thanks to strong government and commercial demand. [SpaceNews]
Iran is seeking help from China to develop more advanced imaging satellites. Western officials said Iran has been in discussions with two Chinese companies, Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. and MinoSpace Technology Co., about technical assistance to produce satellites with improved imaging resolution or other capabilities that Iran currently lacks. Those officials said the cooperation could give Iran improved targeting capabilities for its missiles or early warning of attacks. However, officials said China likely will be cautious about any work that could upset larger trade deals it has with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. [Washington Post]
A Progress cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station early Saturday. The Progress MS-28 spacecraft docked with the station's Zvezda module at 1:53 a.m. Eastern, a little more than two days after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The spacecraft delivered about three tons of fuel, food and other supplies for the station. [NASA]
| |  | The Week Ahead
Monday: Tuesday: - Cape Canaveral, Fla.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 5:36 a.m. Eastern.
- Online: The Lunar Surface Science Workshop Session #24 will discuss science drivers and capabilities for lunar surface habitat research facilities.
- Greenbelt, Md.: Lisa Costa, former U.S. Space Force chief technology and innovation officer, and A.C. Charania, NASA chief technologist, will speak at a Maryland Space Business Roundtable luncheon.
Wednesday: - Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 4:24 a.m. Eastern.
Wednesday-Thursday: - Canberra, Australia: The Southern Space 2024 conference will discuss Australia's space industry.
Thursday: - Wenchang, China: Anticipated launch of a Long March 7A rocket with an unidentified payload at 8:25 a.m. Eastern.
Friday: - Cape Canaveral, Fla.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 3:46 a.m. Eastern.
Monday, Aug. 26: - Kennedy Space Center, Fla.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 on the Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission at approximately 3:30 a.m. Eastern.
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