| SpaceX launched its Starship vehicle on its sixth test flight but called off an attempt to "catch" the booster back at the launch site. Starship/Super Heavy lifted off from Boca Chica, Texas, at 5 p.m. Eastern, with President-elect Trump among those in attendance. SpaceX planned to have the Super Heavy booster return to the launch site to be caught by the launch tower as on the previous test flight in October, but controllers aborted that attempt and directed the booster to make a landing in the Gulf of Mexico just offshore. SpaceX later said that "automated health checks of critical hardware on the launch and catch tower" triggered the abort. The Starship upper stage flew on a suborbital trajectory, testing the ability relight a Raptor engine in flight, before reentering and making a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean. [SpaceNews]
AeroVironment is buying BlueHalo, a defense technology company working on modernization of military satellite communications infrastructure, for $4.1 billion. The companies announced the deal on Tuesday, which is expected to close in the first half of 2025. BlueHalo, currently owned by private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners, brings expertise in space-based communications, directed energy, electronic warfare and missile defense technologies. It has a $1.4 billion Space Force contract to modernize satellite communication infrastructure. AeroVironment has small civil space technology portfolio that includes work supporting the development of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter. [SpaceNews]
While Europe is moving ahead with the IRIS² satellite constellation, some believe the program could be too little, too late. A panel at Space Tech Expo Europe reached that conclusion Tuesday, noting the constellation is not scheduled to enter service in 2030, lagging Starlink and other Western and Chinese competitors. While IRIS² will have military and civil government applications for Europe, it is unclear if it can compete on price and scale with commercial alternatives. Europe also faces hurdles in standardizing satellite and ground systems, which can slow down progress. [SpaceNews]
The Space Development Agency (SDA) is pushing back the first launches of the next phase of its LEO satellite constellation because of supply chain issues. The first launch of Tranche 1 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture was originally scheduled for September 2024, but is now expected in March or April 2025. SDA Director Derek Tournear said Tuesday that his agency has encountered significant hurdles in its supply chain, particularly in optical terminals and specialized encryption devices requiring National Security Agency certification. The deployment of Tranche 1 will require 11 launches, scheduled on a monthly cadence, to deploy 126 communications satellites and 28 missile-tracking sensor satellites. [SpaceNews]
A congressional advisory body is calling for urgent measures to counter China's rapid advancements in space and other advanced technologies. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission released its annual report Tuesday, highlighting how China has integrated cutting-edge technologies into its economic and military strategies. It noted the growth of Chinese space-based surveillance capabilities and anti-satellite weapons. Among its 32 recommendations, the commission urges Congress to prioritize space as a vital arena of competition and conduct a comprehensive review of the U.S. commercial space industry. [SpaceNews]
Kepler Communications is seeking permission to operate larger but significantly fewer satellites for a data relay constellation. The Canadian company is asking the FCC to approve a modified constellation of 18 satellites, 10 with optical payloads, slated to launch late next year. Its original license granted in 2018 covering 140 radio frequency spacecraft about 12 kilograms in size. The company is moving to a smaller number of bigger satellites to accommodate optical terminals that Kepler believes are now sufficiently mature to use in their system. The larger satellites will also accommodate propulsion systems to meet FCC rules that require satellites to deorbit within five years of the end of their lives. [SpaceNews]
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