Plus: Trump taps Kratsios for OSTP, Russia launches Resurs-P satellite
| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | 12/26/2024 | | | | | A Senate bill would have pushed NASA to move faster on transitioning from the International Space Station to commercial space stations. A NASA authorization bill introduced last week by the bipartisan leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee included provisions directing NASA to ensure there is no gap in U.S. human presence in low Earth orbit, including milestones for contracts to support commercial successors that are earlier than NASA's current plans. The bill also addressed concerns about cost growth on NASA science missions, calling for studies on the compliance with cost caps as well as the use of fixed-price contracts for a revised Mars Sample Return program. The bill was introduced too late to have any chance of passage, but may signal the priorities of the Senate Commerce Committee in the next Congress. [SpaceNews]
NASA selected four companies to provide commercial communications services for spacecraft in Earth orbit and out to the moon. NASA issued task orders to Intuitive Machines, KSAT, SSC Space U.S. and Viasat to support the agency's Near Space Network, which handles communications for NASA missions out to two million kilometers from Earth. The contracts will provide additional capacity for the network and are part of NASA's efforts to rely more on commercial communications services, which include phasing out the TDRS satellite network over the next decade in favor of commercial systems. [SpaceNews]
Thirty Indian companies have expressed interest in a public-private partnership for remote sensing constellations. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre said it received nine formal expressions of interest from teams that comprise 30 companies overall for a partnership to develop imaging satellite systems operated from India. The Indian government will use the expressions of interest to inform a later competition that will offer a loan to the winning company to help fund a new constellation intended to reduce India's reliance on foreign imagery providers. [Reuters]
| | | | | Russia launched an imaging satellite on the 2000th flight of a venerable rocket family. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:45 a.m. Eastern Wednesday and placed the Resurs-P No. 5 remote sensing satellite into orbit. The satellite can provide imagery at a resolution sharper than one meter per pixel, primarily for civilian applications. The launch was the 2000th for the R-7 series of rockets, dating back to 1957. [TASS]
The proposed city of Starbase, Texas, would have about 500 residents and be run by a SpaceX security manager. SpaceX is seeking to incorporate its Starbase facility at Boca Chica, Texas, into a town, with residents of the area filing a petition with county officials earlier this month. According to a copy of the petition, the proposed town would have an area of about four square kilometers and include 500 people, nearly all of whom are affiliated with SpaceX. Officials with Cameron County said earlier this month that they would review the petition and determine whether to hold a special election on the incorporation request. [New York Times]
The incoming Trump administration has selected Michael Kratsios to be director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Kratsios worked at OSTP in the first Trump administration and was later the White House's chief technology officer, and spent the last three years as an executive at an AI company. The selection of Kratsios suggests OSTP, whose activities include some aspects of civil space activities, will be focused on AI and related issues in the new administration. [Science]
| | | | | | NASA Hates Holidays
"There is a joke at NASA that says missions are deliberately planned so key milestones fall on or around big holidays. I've heard that grumpy science reporters often refer to the pattern with the hashtag #NASAHatesHolidays."
– Thomas Zurbuchen, former NASA associate administrator for science, discussing the Parker Solar Probe that made its closest approach to the sun on Christmas Eve. [Washington Post]
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