Plus: Congress funds NASA science
| Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, Crew-11 comes home early from the International Space Station, the Congress funds NASA science, the Pentagon invests $1 billion in L3Harris and more.
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| | | | | OUR TOP STORY
| | By Jeff Foust A Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the California coast Jan. 15, bringing back four people from the International Space Station more than a month early because of a medical issue with one of them.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour splashed down off the coast of San Diego at 3:41 a.m. Eastern. It had undocked from the station at 5:20 p.m. Eastern Jan. 14.
Returning from the ISS after five and a half months there were NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, who served as commander and pilot, respectively, of Crew-11, along with mission specialists Kimiya Yui of the Japanese space agency JAXA and Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos.
| | | | | | | CIVIL
| | The Senate voted 82-15 Jan. 16 to pass a "minibus" appropriations bill combining three spending measures, including the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) bill. The CJS measure funds NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation, among other agencies.
A paper on the design and key technologies for a solar system boundary exploration mission published in the Journal of Deep Space Exploration outlines a pair of missions to the head and tail of the heliosphere and the boundaries of the solar system. A key author is senior Chinese space official Wu Weiren, head of the national Deep Space Exploration Laboratory.
NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft last communicated with Earth on Dec. 6, failing to reestablish contact after passing behind Mars as seen from Earth. Subsequent analysis of telemetry collected during a radio science experiment indicated the spacecraft was tumbling and no longer in its planned orbit. Efforts to restore contact have not been successful.
| | LAUNCH
| | A delay in one European Space Agency mission is creating an opportunity for an earlier, and more capable, launch for another ESA spacecraft. ESA's Comet Interceptor mission, designed to fly by a long-period comet, had been scheduled to launch on an Ariane 6 alongside an exoplanet atmosphere study that has been delayed.
Arianespace announced Jan. 15 that it will conduct its first launch for Amazon's low Earth orbit broadband constellation on Feb. 12 from French Guiana. The mission, the first of 18 under a 2022 contract, will also mark the debut of the Ariane 64, the version of Ariane 6 equipped with four solid rocket boosters.
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle failed late Sunday during ascent, resulting in the loss of a primary Earth observation satellite and 15 smaller co-passenger spacecraft. Spaceflight activity tracker Jonathan McDowell estimated that the stage reached a suborbital trajectory and fell into the Indian Ocean. | | | | | | | SPONSORED |  | | Mini-Circuits leverages 30+ years of in-house, space-level RF component screening experience to support a wide range of mission requirements from government programs to the newest commercial applications. Most of Mini-Circuits' components can be upscreened in-house for Mil Standard or equivalent qualification with EEE-INST-002 compliant workflows in as little as 90 days. Whether you're looking for off-the-shelf solutions or custom designs for special requirements, Mini-Circuits is your trusted partner for RF parts and subassemblies from earth station to orbit. View | | | | | | | COMMERCIAL
| | Hydrosat, a thermal imagery startup focused on water-resource management, has raised $60 million in Series B funding from equity investors and sovereign wealth funds. With the influx of cash, announced Jan. 15, Hydrosat plans to launch additional thermal infrared satellites and expand its global footprint.
Parsons, a Chantilly, Virginia-based defense and intelligence contractor, said it paid $330 million in cash at closing, with an additional $45 million earn-out payable in the first quarter of 2027 if Altamira meets certain earnings targets in 2026. Altamira brings technical depth in analyzing space-based sensor data, particularly missile warning satellite feeds, and in fusing information from multiple intelligence sources to support national security missions.
The Pentagon on Jan. 13 said it will become an "anchor investor" in L3Harris Technologies' missile business, committing $1 billion to expand U.S. capacity to produce solid rocket motors that power U.S. and allied missile systems. The arrangement marks one of the most interventionist steps the U.S. government has taken in the defense industrial sector. | | | | | | | FROM SPACENEWS |  | | Join us in DC on Wednesday, Jan. 21: The U.S. Space Force of 2040 will operate in a far more contested, congested, and fast-moving domain than the Guardians of today — one where space control, speed and resiliency will define U.S. military advantage. The next installment in our series with Johns Hopkins University will examine what the Space Force must become to succeed against growing threats. SpaceNews' Sandra Erwin will sit down with Space Force Gen. Shawn Bratton following a panel discussion with leaders from Vantor, K2 Space and JHU APL. Register now. | | | | | |  | Latest Press Releases
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