Plus: Problems with a Deep Space Network antenna
By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: Rocket Lab delays Neutron debut to 2026, China's Shenzhou-20 return remains in limbo, problems with a Deep Space Network antenna and more.
If someone forwarded you this edition, sign up to receive it in your inbox every weekday. Have thoughts or feedback? You can hit reply to let me know.
| | |
|
|
|
Top Stories
Rocket Lab is pushing back the first launch of its Neutron rocket to 2026. The company said in an earnings call Monday that it now expected to have the first Neutron on the pad at its Launch Complex 3 in Virginia in the first quarter of next year, with a launch to follow after final tests there. The company said the slip gives the company more time to carry out testing before launch to maximize the chances of success on that first flight. Rocket Lab, which earlier projected spending $250-300 million on Neutron development, says it now expects to spend $360 million through the end of this year. [SpaceNews]
China is continuing to assess potential damage to the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft from orbital debris. The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) said Tuesday that teams have activated contingency procedures and are conducting simulations, system testing and safety evaluations related to the spacecraft's return module. The return of Shenzhou-20, originally scheduled Nov. 5, was delayed after CMSEO announced just hours before scheduled undocking that the spacecraft was suspected to have been struck by a small piece of orbital debris. The office has not disclosed the location or extent of any damage, a new timeline for reentry, or alternative steps such as sending up a new, uncrewed Shenzhou spacecraft. [SpaceNews]
Italian aerospace propulsion firm Avio announced agreements with U.S. defense contractors Raytheon and Lockheed Martin for solid rocket motors Avio plans to make in the United States. Avio plans to open a U.S. factory by early 2028, but has not disclosed its location. The factory will produce solid rocket motors, with Lockheed and Raytheon each getting "preferred access" to the motors made there under the new agreements. Avio said it plans to invest approximately $460 million to increase its manufacturing capacity, with most of that capital earmarked for the new U.S. manufacturing facility. [SpaceNews]
Spanish satellite communications company Sateliot will produce upgraded satellites at a new Barcelona factory. The first 16 150-kilogram satellites are slated to launch in 2027 to demonstrate the capability to provide higher bandwidth direct-to-device services in certain areas for a few minutes at a time. The company currently operates a network of smaller satellites for Internet of Things services using 5G standards. The upgraded satellites, called Tritó, would be built at the venture's newly opened European 5G Satellite Development Center at its Barcelona headquarters, which includes a 100-square-meter clean room. [SpaceNews]
A key antenna in NASA's Deep Space Network has been offline since September after being damaged. JPL, which oversees the Deep Space Network, said Monday that the 70-meter DSS-14 antenna in Goldstone, California, suffered damage when it "over-rotated" in mid-September, and has been offline since. A mishap review board is investigating the incident, and JPL did not estimate when it expected the antenna to resume operations. DSS-14 is one of three 70-meter antennas in the Deep Space Network that play key roles communicating with spacecraft, particularly in the outer solar system. The overall network has been under strain as demand from missions outstrips capacity. [SpaceNews]
| | |
|
|
|
SPONSORED |  | | |
|
|
|
Other News
A Starlink launch Monday night set a new Cape Canaveral launch record. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 10:21 p.m. Eastern, placing 29 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was previously planned for earlier in the day but moved back to after 10 p.m. to comply with a temporary FAA order manding commercial launches occur only between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. to limit stress on airspace management during the shutdown. The launch was the 94th orbital mission so far this year from the Cape, breaking 2024's record of 93 launches. [Orlando Sentinel]
Funding for a new set of Space Development Agency satellites has been diverted to pay troops during the shutdown. The funds were intended for contracts to be awarded for Tranche 3 of the SDA's Tracking Layer constellation of missile-warning satellites. Those funds were part of $8 billion of unobligated R&D funds that the Pentagon reassigned last month to pay troops during the shutdown. It's unclear how the transfer might affect the timing of the Tranche 3 awards, which had been expected this month. That transfer could also affect the timing of milestones for Tranche 2 contracts previously awarded. [Breaking Defense]
New Mexico-based mPower Technology has started automated, high-volume production of its space-grade solar modules in New York. The company said Tuesday that it, working with contract manufacturer Universal Instruments, has ramped up automated production to an annual capacity of one megawatt. The company is set to double output with an additional production line by mid-2026. The company's modules are manufactured using commercial off-the-shelf silicon-based processes and equipment, which mPower argues makes them more customizable and less expensive to produce than traditional solar hardware made with gallium arsenide semiconductor material. [SpaceNews]
An icy moon of Saturn may be even more hospitable to life. Scientists believe that Enceladus harbors a liquid water ocean under its icy surface, based on plumes of material ejected from the surface detected by the Cassini mission. New analysis of Cassini data also shows more heat coming from the north polar region of the moon than expected from models of the moon. The heat coming out of Enceladus closely matches the heat being created in its interior from tidal heating, suggesting that subsurface ocean could have existed for a long time and creating a stable environment for any life to form there. [Space.com]
Former astronaut Scott Kelly is signing on as an adviser to a movie that wants to shoot some scenes in space. Kelly will advise Italian producer Andrea Iervolino on development of I See You, described as a "romantic space drama" partially set in space. Iervolino says he is in discussions to shoot some scenes of the movie in space, but provided no details on when that would take place and with whom. The Russia movie Vyzov, or The Challenge, shot some scenes on the International Space Station in 2021. [Deadline]
|
|
|
|
When D2D Means Direct to Dog
| "They herd animals with cars, and they are also using Starlink antennas on their vehicles, on their horses and sometimes on their dogs."
| – Alibek Kuantyrov, deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan, discussing how Kazakh herders are using advanced technologies to monitor livestock. [Intellinews]
| | |
|
|
|
Sign up for our other newsletters Military Space: Veteran defense journalist Sandra Erwin delivers news and insights for the military space professional. Delivered Tuesday. China Report: Analysis of China's space activities and what it means as one of the United States' top competitors from correspondent Andrew Jones. Delivered every other Wednesday. SpaceNext AI: Exploring the intersection of space and artificial intelligence. Delivered Thursday.
SpaceNews This Week: A round-up of the week's top stories, including our conference coverage. Delivered Friday. Video & Audio: Upcoming live programs, scheduled guests, and recent Space Minds podcast episodes, webinars and other events. Delivered Friday. Marketing Minute: Covering PR, marketing, and advertising trends, upcoming SpaceNews opportunities, and editorial insights for communications and marketing leaders. Delivered monthly. |
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment