Top Stories of the Week From SpaceNews
12/27/2024 | View in Browser | Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, NASA awarded multiple contracts for commercial communications services in orbit and on the moon, China broke its record for annual launches, Liechtenstein signed the Artemis Accords, and more. | | |
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By Jeff Foust, Dec. 26, 2024 |
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NASA selected four companies to provide communications services in Earth orbit and out to the moon.
NASA announced Dec. 20 it awarded task orders to Intuitive Machines, Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), SSC Space U.S. and Viasat to provide services to support NASA's Near Space Network (NSN), which provides communications for missions extending out to two million kilometers from the Earth.
The awards are part of NASA's efforts to both build up capacity for communications with spacecraft in Earth orbit and cislunar space and to rely more on commercial services. The Near Space Network includes ground stations around the world as well as the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system. Those efforts include phasing out the TDRS constellation in favor of commercial data relay satellites. Read More |
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Rocket Lab launches sixth Synspective radar imaging satellite A Rocket Lab Electron successfully launched a StriX synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellite for Synspective Dec. 21. The Electron rocket lifted off from Pad B of Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 9:17 a.m. Eastern. The launch was postponed a few days because of weather and a previous launch attempt was scrubbed Dec. 20 when the company reported an out-of-family reading with an unspecified sensor. Read More
China suffers commercial rocket failure but sets record for annual launches A Chinese commercial Kinetica-1 solid rocket failed Dec. 26. The Kinetica-1 failure is the first loss of the solid rocket. The previous five missions were all successful, with the previous launch taking place in November. The launch was China's 68th launch attempt of 2024, surpassing the national record of 67 launches in a calendar year, set in 2023. Read More | | |
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| | China's Landspace secures state-backed funding for reusable rockets Chinese launch startup Landspace received 900 million yuan ($123 million) from China's National Manufacturing Transformation and Upgrading Fund, according to Chinese media reports Dec. 25. The company stated that the funds will primarily be used for the development, testing, and production of its Zhuque reusable methane-liquid oxygen launch vehicles. Read More
In-orbit servicers get UK funds to help shape new regulations
The British subsidiaries of Japan-based Astroscale, Switzerland's ClearSpace, and D-Orbit of Italy said Dec. 23 they jointly secured 690,000 British pounds ($869,000) from the U.K. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology for an initial "regulatory sandbox" phase to help develop ground rules for their planned rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO). Read More
True Anomaly achieves milestone with Jackal satellite deployment
Space technology startup True Anomaly successfully deployed and established communication with its Jackal satellite on its second mission. The Jackal satellite launched Dec. 21 on SpaceX's Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission. It was the company's third spacecraft sent to orbit. Read More | | |
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 | POLICY & POLITICS |
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| Senate NASA bill focuses on commercial space stations, science mission overruns The NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2024 was formally introduced in the Senate Dec. 18 by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, along with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), ranking member of the committee. The bill, which was not brought to the Senate floor, would have authorized $25.478 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2025 while directing the agency to accelerate work on commercial space stations and address cost overruns on science programs. Read More
Liechtenstein signs the Artemis Accords Rainer Schnepfleitner, director of Liechtenstein's Office for Communications, the government agency responsible for space issues, signed the Artemis Accords Dec. 20 in an event at NASA Headquarters also attended by Georg Sparber, the country's ambassador to the United States, and U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Scott Miller. Read More |
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| | OPINION | |
|  | By Kelly D. Hammett, Dec. 22, 2024
| The United States Space Force is a critical component of our nation's defense. As the newest branch of the U.S. military, the Space Force is responsible for protecting and defending our nation's interests in space. This includes everything from satellite communications and navigation to missile warning and defense. The Space Force is also working to develop new capabilities, such as agile protect-and-defend systems, which enable us to stay ahead of emerging threats, hold adversary space systems at risk and be prepared if deterrence fails.
As the director of the U.S. Space Force's Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), I have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the incredible potential of collaboration between the government and the space industry. Established in 2018, Space RCO is a direct reporting unit of the Space Force, responsible for acquiring space and ground systems that protect and defend against threats. Our mission is to rapidly develop and field space capabilities that meet the evolving needs of our nation's defense. Read More
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