Plus: Japan, Poland join U.S. military sat network, and Anuvu eyes satellite constellation for in-flight Wi-Fi.
| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | | | | Donald Trump will return to the White House, potentially giving SpaceX CEO Elon Musk greater influence. Most media outlets declared Trump the winner early Wednesday after he won enough swing states to secure a majority in the Electoral College. Musk threw his support behind Trump in July and both contributed and campaigned extensively for the Republican nominee. Trump said little about space during the campaign but did, on several occasions, appear to endorse a SpaceX-led accelerated human Mars program. Trump mentioned Musk during a victory speech in the early morning hours, describing watching the recent Starship Super Heavy landing and claiming he asked Musk to offer free Starlink services in areas of North Carolina hit by Hurricane Helene. Republicans also secured a majority in the Senate, but control of the House remains up for grabs. [Washington Post]
Japan and Poland will join a U.S. military communications satellite system. The two countries are set to join the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite network used by the U.S. military and those of several allies. WGS provides high-capacity communication services for military operations. With 10 satellites in geostationary Earth orbit, WGS has been the backbone of U.S. military communications. WGS allows participating nations to share the costs of satellite development and upkeep, alleviating the financial burden for the United States. [SpaceNews]
Anuvu is proposing to develop a constellation of satellites in highly elliptical orbit (HEO) to offer broadband services to aircraft. Anuvu announced a partnership with D-Orbit USA, a newly founded subsidiary of Italian space logistics company D-Orbit, to study the design of a HEO network using 16 satellites. Anuvu has been working on a system of eight GEO satellites, but the first two, scheduled to launch last year, have been delayed by manufacturer Astranis. Anuvu said that using satellites in HEO will provide higher data rates because the spacecraft will be at lower altitudes when in service and can also handle polar routes out of the reach of GEO satellites. [SpaceNews]
China is planning a first launch in 2026 of a rocket it plans to use in its human lunar exploration program. A model of the Long March 10A, a single-core rocket for launching crew, is set to be unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow in southern China later this month. The rocket is set to have its debut launch in 2026, according to a report Tuesday in Science and Technology Daily, an official Chinese ministry newspaper. Long March 10A will be used to launch a new generation crew spacecraft to the Tiangong space station in low Earth orbit, while a three-core version of the rocket will be used to launch a crewed lunar spacecraft and, separately, a lunar lander. Also on display at the Zhuhai Airshow will be a new model of the Long March 9 heavy-lift rocket that now more closely resembles SpaceX's Starship with reusable upper and lower stages. [SpaceNews]
Gilmour Space has received a license from the Australian government for its first orbital launch. The company said Tuesday that the Australian Space Agency had issued the license for the inaugural flight of the Eris small launch vehicle from the company's spaceport in northern Queensland. Gilmour is projecting a launch in December or January. The company had been working towards a launch as early as May, but encountered delays in getting the license. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | A Dragon cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station Tuesday morning. The Dragon docked with the forward port on the Harmony module at 9:52 a.m. Eastern, a little more than 12 hours after launch from the Kennedy Space Center. Dragon delivered more than 2,750 kilograms of cargo to the ISS on the CRS-31 mission, and will remain at the station for about a month before returning to Earth. [Space.com]
French launch vehicle startup Latitude has hired a new CEO. The company announced Tuesday that it hired Aurélie Bressollette as CEO, succeeding co-founder Stanislas Maximin, who now takes the role of executive chairman. Bressollette previously worked at Rivada Space Networks, Redwire, OHB and Airbus. Maximin said he will focus on strategic issues at the company, including fundraising, while Bressollette handles day-to-day operations. Latitude is working on a small launch vehicle called Zephyr, with a first launch projected towards the end of next year. [SpaceNews]
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) has won a contract to build an imaging satellite for the U.K. military. The Juno satellite will provide imagery for British forces, building upon the capabilities demonstrated on the Tyche satellite launched in August. Juno, with an estimated cost of £40 million ($51 million), is scheduled to launch in 2027. [SSTL]
The South Korean government plans to support the development of lunar rovers. The country's industry ministry announced Wednesday partnerships with 13 companies and institutions, including automaker Hyundai, to develop key components for future lunar rovers. The ministry said it is spending about $16.5 million on the effort. [Yonhap]
| | | | | | Sage Advice
"Learn how to make a valve and you will be rich forever."
– NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free, speaking last week at a luncheon during the American Astronautical Society's von Braun Space Exploration Symposium.
| | | | | | 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, SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh dives into the fleet operator's bold moves in satellite innovation, including the Intelsat acquisition and the company's multi-orbit strategy to outpace rivals like Starlink.
Watch out for new episodes every Tuesday on SpaceNews.com and on the SpaceNews YouTube channel.
| | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment