Plus: ISS dodges debris again, and Trump transition secures formal start at federal agencies.
| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | 11/27/2024 | | | | | The FCC has granted SpaceX conditional approval to provide direct-to-smartphone services in the United States. The FCC said Tuesday that SpaceX could use its Gen2 satellites to provide those services on cellular frequencies assigned to T-Mobile, SpaceX's partner. Of the more than 2,600 Gen2 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit, around 320 are equipped with direct-to-smartphone payloads, enough to enable the texting services SpaceX has said it could launch this year. The FCC deferred deciding whether to allow these satellites to increase their radio emission power, which SpaceX has said is needed to support higher bandwidth capabilities such as real-time voice and video calls, but will allow SpaceX to operate satellites in lower orbits, at altitudes of 340 to 360 kilometers. The FCC's approval for nationwide service came after temporary authorizations in Florida and North Carolina this fall after hurricanes there. T-Mobile said Starlink handled more than 100,000 text messages and 120 wireless emergency alerts. [SpaceNews]
NASA says it would have to cancel up to four commercial lunar lander missions if it decided to fly its VIPER lunar rover. NASA canceled VIPER in July, stating that the additional costs to carry out the mission would force it to cancel or delay an unspecified number of Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) missions, but did not specify a number. In a response last month to the House Science Committee, which raised concerns about NASA's decision to cancel VIPER, NASA said it would have to cancel between one and four CLPS missions, depending on when VIPER launched and if NASA continued to use Astrobotic's Griffin lander or sought an alternative lander. Up to four other CLPS missions could be delayed by one to two years. NASA is continuing to evaluate proposals by companies and organizations to take over VIPER, and plans to announce "next steps" in that effort by early next year. [SpaceNews]
The Office of Space Commerce has selected Slingshot Aerospace to provide the web interface for its space traffic coordination system. The office announced Tuesday it awarded a contract worth $5.3 million to develop the "presentation layer" for the Traffic Coordination Systm for Space (TraCSS), creating a web interface that will allow public access to the data in TraCSS. TraCSS will be available through a TraCSS.gov website by late 2025, eventually replacing the Pentagon's Space-Track.org service. [SpaceNews]
Spectrum Advanced Manufacturing Technologies will produce components and assemble satellites for D-Orbit USA. The companies announced Tuesday an agreement whereby Spectrum AMT will manufacture printed circuit board assemblies and harnesses as well as perform final assembly of D-Orbit USA satellite buses. D-Orbit USA, a joint venture of European space transportation company D-Orbit and a group of American co-founders, was established in July to develop a satellite bus based on D-Orbit's ION orbital transfer vehicle. [SpaceNews]
The leader of a NASA Venus mission already delayed by three years is trying to avoid a further delay. NASA pushed back the launch of the VERITAS orbiter from 2028 to 2031 to address "workforce imbalance" problems at JPL. The mission is currently working towards a June 2031 launch, but at a recent meeting, the mission's principal investigator said there was a "real possibility" that it would be delayed to November 2032. Such a delay could cause development issues with instruments already being built by European partners, which could be delivered before the spacecraft completes a preliminary design review. It could also create conflicts with the operations of ESA's EnVision Venus orbiter, which would arrive at Venus at almost the same time as VERITAS if VERITAS is delayed to late 2032. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | Chinese launch startup Landspace put two satellites into orbit late Tuesday with the first launch of an improved version of its Zhuque-2 rocket. The Zhuque-2 enhanced version, or ZQ-2E, lifted off at 9 p.m. Eastern from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and placed into orbit the Guangchuan 01 and 02 satellites. Few details about the satellites were disclosed. The launch is the fourth for the Zhuque-2 and third successful one after a failed inaugural launch in late 2022. The ZQ-2E features an upgraded engine in the second stage and use of fully supercooled propellant loading. [SpaceNews]
SpaceX launched 24 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 late Tuesday. The rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 11:41 p.m. Eastern and deployed its Starlink satellite payload about an hour later. The launch was delayed one day for reasons SpaceX did not disclose. [Spaceflight Now]
A federal judge has blocked a request by an environmental group for an injunction halting Starship launches from Boca Chica, Texas. U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera said SpaceX made a "good faith mistake" when it operated a water deluge system at the pad without proper permits, and noted that the system did not appear to cause significant environmental impacts and that SpaceX was now working to get the proper permits. The environmental group Save RGV filed suit in October, arguing that the company had violated environmental laws by operating the system without a permit. While the judge denied the request for a restraining order halting launches, the case will continue. [myRGV]
The incoming Trump administration has finally reached an agreement to allow formal transition teams to start work at federal agencies. The Trump transition signed a memorandum of understanding with the White House Tuesday that will allow the incoming administration to send agency review teams, or "landing parties," to federal agencies including the Defense Department and NASA. Trump had rejected using traditional agreements with the General Services Administration that would have given it access to office space and funding to support the transition. The incoming administration plans to privately fund the transition, but with no legal requirements to disclose the source of that funding. [Politico]
For the second time in less than a week, the International Space Station had to maneuver to avoid debris. A Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the station fired its thrusters for three and a half minutes Monday to raise the station's orbit by half a kilometer, providing additional clearance from an unspecified piece of debris that would have passed close to the station. The station made a similar maneuver last week to avoid a close approach by debris from a U.S. military weather satellite. [Space.com]
Note: FIRST UP will not publish on Thursday and Friday because of the Thanksgiving holiday. We will be back on Monday.
| | | | | | Space (Salad) Bar
"We all like salad bars. This is us trying to create a space-based salad bar for the astronauts."
– Lisa Carnell, director of the biological and physical sciences division at NASA Headquarters, discussing a plant habitat experiment flown to the ISS on a recent cargo mission. [Florida Today]
| | | | | | What's New With SpaceNews? |  | | Check out the latest episode of Commercial Space Transformers, our new video series featuring conversations between SpaceNews Senior Staff Writer Jason Rainbow and the people driving the space industry's commercial transformation. This week, Pawel Skonieczka, the director of TMT investment banking at Deutsche Bank dives into the future of the space economy and the roles of various sectors in driving its growth.
Watch out for new episodes every Tuesday on SpaceNews.com and on the SpaceNews YouTube channel.
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