Plus: A Chinese company will launch 144 SSA satellites
| By Jeff Foust The European Space Agency and Avio have signed a contract to begin design work on a reusable upper stage for future Vega or other European rockets.
Officials with ESA and Avio signed a contract Sept. 29 during the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) here to perform initial design work on a concept for a reusable upper stage. The two-year contract is worth 40 million euros ($47 million).
The contract will cover work on key technologies in propulsion and reentry systems needed for the upper stage, said Giorgio Tumino, chief technical adviser for space transportation at ESA, in comments after the signing ceremony. It will also advance the design of the stage itself.
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| A Chinese company plans to establish a constellation of 144 space situational awareness (SSA) satellites in low-Earth orbit. Two experimental satellites will be launched in April, followed by 12 more SSA satellites by the end of 2026, Dan Luo, executive vice president for Geovis Insighter Technology Co. Ltd., told SpaceNews at the International Astronautical Congress.
As the federal government nears a potential shutdown, a report alleges that NASA is already taking steps to carry out the administration's proposed budget and putting safety in jeopardy in the process. The report, released Sept. 29 by the Democratic staff of the Senate Commerce Committee, cites anonymous whistleblowers and other sources within NASA to conclude that the agency was moving to implement the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget before Congress acts on appropriations bills. | | |
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| A startup named Cosmic Shielding says it has found a way to close the technology gap that limits how much computing power satellites can carry into orbit. The company developed a lightweight nanocomposite, branded Plasteel, that it uses to build enclosures protecting advanced commercial processors from the intense radiation that bombards spacecraft.
The Pentagon announced three contracts aimed at beefing up U.S. production of solid rocket motors, a part of the defense industrial base officials say is vulnerable to supply-chain disruption and under pressure from rising demand. |
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