Welcome to our weekly roundup of the top SpaceNews stories of the week, brought to you every Friday! This week, SpaceX successfully caught the Super Heavy booster on its fifth Starship flight, NASA launched its Europa Clipper mission, and we wrap up our coverage of the International Astronautical Conference in Milan, Italy. | | |
|
|
|
By Jeff Foust, Oct. 13, 2024 |
|
|
|
SpaceX launched its fifth Starship vehicle Oct. 13, successfully making an unprecedented "catch" of its Super Heavy booster back at the launch site.
The Starship/Super Heavy vehicle lifted off from the company's Starbase site at Boca Chica, Texas, at 8:25 a.m. Eastern on a mission called Flight 5 by SpaceX.
The main upgrade for this test was a successful attempt by SpaceX to recover the Super Heavy booster by having it come back to the launch site, where it was cradled by two mechanical arms, also known as "chopsticks," which are attached to the launch tower from which it lifted off. That required the booster to perform precise boostback and landing burns to guide the stage back to the launch pad. Read More |
|
| | |
|
News From the International Astronautical Congress |
|
|
|
ESA awards contract to begin work on Ramses asteroid mission
In a ceremony during the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan, Italy, Oct. 17, officials with ESA and OHB Italia signed a contract worth 63 million euros ($68 million) for preparatory work on a mission called Ramses, or Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety, to the asteroid Apophis ahead of that asteroid's close flyby of the Earth in April 2029. Read More
International spaceports seek to collaborate Eight spaceports in six countries signed a memorandum of understanding Oct. 13 during an event held on the sidelines of the IAC. The agreement outlines plans for the launch facilities to work together to address issues in the development and operation of their facilities. Read More | | |  | | |
|
|
|
| | Falcon Heavy launches NASA's Europa Clipper mission The Falcon Heavy lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at 12:06 p.m. Eastern. After the second of two burns by the upper stage that placed it on an Earth-escape trajectory, the Europa Clipper spacecraft separated from the stage a little more than an hour after liftoff. The spacecraft, which will search Jupiter's moon Europa for life, made contact with ground controllers minutes later, returning telemetry showing it was in good condition. Read More
NASA is rethinking its desire for a "continuous human presence" in low Earth orbit during the transition from the International Space Station to commercial platforms to include options where, at least temporarily, the agency may not always have astronauts in orbit. Read More
NASA further delays first operational Starliner flight
NASA will use SpaceX's Crew Dragon for its two crew rotation missions to the International Space Station in 2025 as it continues to evaluate if it will require Boeing to perform another test flight of its Starliner spacecraft. Read More | | |
|
|
|
| | U.S. government eases export controls on space technologies The U.S. Department of Commerce announced long-awaited changes to export control rules for space technologies, a move aimed at bolstering American competitiveness in the global space industry. The new regulations will make it easier for U.S. companies to sell satellites, launch vehicles, and other space-related technologies to close allies, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Read More
Airbus to cut up to 2,500 jobs amid space segment losses Airbus' defense and space division announced plans to cut up to 2,500 positions by mid-2026, citing a "continued complex business environment, especially in the space systems segment," the company said Oct. 16. The workforce reduction comes as Europe's aerospace giant faces mounting financial challenges in its space programs, with executives emphasizing the need for restructuring. The move follows nearly two years of heavy losses, prompting Airbus to adjust to evolving market conditions. Read More | | |
|
|
|
| | Canada's Mission Control to demonstrate AI on Spire cubesat Spire Global and Canadian startup Mission Control announced plans Oct. 16 for Persistence, a technology demonstration mission focused on space-based artificial intelligence. "The Persistence mission will demonstrate resilient onboard spacecraft autonomy over a yearlong demonstration of deep learning AI in space," Ewan Reid, Mission Control founder and CEO, said at the International Astronautical Congress. Read More
EarthDaily buys analytics specialist amid imagery constellation deployment delay Antarctica Capital has sold geospatial analytics provider Descartes Labs to EarthDaily Analytics (EDA), also owned by the private equity firm, which has delayed its optical imagery constellation by two years to improve artificial intelligence compatibility. Vancouver, Canada-based EDA said Oct. 15 it had bought Descartes Lab of Santa Fe, New Mexico, for an undisclosed sum to strengthen AI imagery analytics offerings in the insurance, energy, mining, and U.S. defense markets. Read More | | |
|
|
|
| | OPINION |
|  | By Lisa Dyer, Oct. 18, 2024
| Weather forecasters, Federal Emergency Management Agency employees, the National Guard and other U.S military personnel, state and local officials, first responders and those providing emergency services before, during and after Hurricanes Helene and Milton offer guidance and support in times of intense fear and loss. Utility linemen driving towards the storms to position themselves to immediately remove downed trees and restore electricity inspire awe. Volunteers and neighbors helping neighbors represent the best of us. These scenes offer glimmers of hope and resilience as we mourn lives lost and property and businesses devastated.
When first responders and others are putting their lives on the line and traditional cellular systems are overloaded or unavailable, satellites and orbital infrastructure allow help to get where it is needed during disasters. Satellites that monitor weather events, the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), communications satellites and high-resolution imaging systems play critical roles in forecasting, rescue, relief and recovery operations, enhancing our economic resiliency. The United States must increase its investment in space systems, infrastructure and ancillary services to ensure the most modern technology and information is available and reliable not just when disaster strikes, but in our everyday lives. Read More
Quantum Key Distribution and laser communication: Here's what you need to know By Pu Jian
How countries can increase their participation in the global space economy By Kevin M. O'Connell and Kelli Kedis Ogborn
How to prevent space collisions: the challenging journey of satellite deployments By Marco Guadalupi
|
|
|
|
SpaceNews is committed to publishing our community's diverse perspectives. Whether you're an academic, executive, engineer or even just a concerned citizen of the cosmos, send your arguments and viewpoints to opinion@spacenews.com to be considered for publication online or in our next magazine. | | |
|
| | | | |
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment