Plus: NASA selects the next space station crew
By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: the FCC blocks direct-to-device spectrum grabs, SpaceX to test satellite crosslinks for the Space Force, NASA selects the next space station crew and more.
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Top Stories
The FCC has dismissed efforts by satellite operators to acquire additional Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) spectrum for direct-to-device services. The regulator released a broad decision Thursday aimed at preserving market certainty for companies already using MSS bands to connect portable devices, from U.S.-based Globalstar and Iridium's "Big LEO" spectrum to 2 gigahertz and L-band frequencies. Several companies, including SpaceX, Kepler Communications and AST SpaceMobile, sought access to that spectrum, but the FCC concluded their proposed uses created "significant harmful interference challenges to incumbent users." FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the broad order positions the U.S. to lead the way in deploying direct-to-device services from space, enabling connectivity for standard devices beyond the reach of terrestrial cell towers. [SpaceNews]
SpaceX won a Space Force contract to demonstrate satellite crosslinks. The $57 million contract announced this week will fund a demonstration of satellite-to-satellite communications using Link-182, a radio-frequency data link standard the Space Force has adopted for its MILNET data relay network. MILNET is a planned constellation of Starshield communications satellites in low Earth orbit built by SpaceX. The contract announcement frames the effort broadly as supporting "U.S. warfighting capability" but Space Systems Command said last September that Link-182 would be the required space-to-space communications protocol for Golden Dome. [SpaceNews]
The Pentagon is asking Congress for $2.3 billion over the next five years to expand its Maven Smart System AI platform. Maven Smart System, developed by Palantir, traces its roots to Project Maven, launched in 2017 to accelerate the military's adoption of artificial intelligence. Initially focused on analyzing drone and surveillance imagery, the effort has expanded into a broader platform that ingests and processes data from satellites, radar, and other sensors to identify objects and potential threats in near real time. [SpaceNews]
Jordan is the latest country to join the Artemis Accords. The country's ambassador to the U.S. signed the Accords Thursday at NASA Headquarters, making Jordan the 63rd country to sign overall and the second this week, after Latvia on Monday. The signing comes as NASA seeks to use the Accords, which outline best practices for safe and sustainable space exploration, as a vehicle for coordinating cooperation in Artemis. [SpaceNews]
Astrobotic has successfully tested an advanced rocket engine for use on its lunar landers and suborbital vehicles. The company said Thursday it completed a series of tests of Chakram, a rotating-detonation rocket engine (RDRE), at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The company tested two prototype engines for 470 seconds, including a single 300-second burn, generating more than 4,000 pounds-force of thrust. RDRE is a technology that promises higher performance than traditional engines. Astrobotic says it envisions using the engine on future versions of its Griffin lunar lander as well as reusable suborbital vehicles it is developing. [SpaceNews]
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Other News
China launched experimental satellites Friday to test direct-to-device connectivity. A Long March 2D lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 2:35 a.m. Eastern. The rocket placed into orbit an unspecified number of test satellites that Chinese media said will test broadband connectivity from the satellites directly to phones. [Xinhua]
Russia launched classified payloads on an Angara rocket Thursday. The Angara 1.2 rocket launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 4:29 a.m. Eastern Thursday. The Russian Ministry of Defense said the launch carried multiple payloads but did not disclose additional details about it. [RussianSpaceWeb.com]
NASA has announced its next crew for the International Space Station. NASA said Thursday Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney will serve as commander and pilot, respectively, for the Crew-13 mission on a SpaceX Crew Dragon. They will be joined by Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The flight will be the first trip to space for all but Watkins, who went to the ISS on Crew-4 in 2022. Crew-13 is scheduled for launch no earlier than mid-September. [NASA]
A SpaceX droneship has made its final trip supporting the Falcon 9. The company said this week that the ship Just Read the Instructions would end support for Falcon 9 landings after Tuesday's launch of a GPS 3 satellite. SpaceX said that with the company using only Space Launch Complex 40 for Falcon 9 launches, it needs only one droneship for landings, the A Shortfall of Gravitas. Just Read the Instructions , which has been used for Falcon landings for a decade, will now support Starship by transporting vehicles between Florida and SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas. [Florida Today]
Iran's use of Chinese satellites has alarmed U.S. officials. In a letter last week to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), who chairs the House Select Committee on China, raised concerns that satellites operated by Chinese companies are providing Iran with imagery it has used to target U.S. and Israeli forces during the ongoing conflict. Moolenaar said it appeared one Chinese company, MizarVision, was using imagery from other sources, including Airbus, to identify U.S. ships and planes. Airbus denied images from its commercial satellites have been used by MizarVision. [Wall Street Journal]
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FROM SPACENEWS |
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The race to establish off-planet computing: On Thursday, April 30, join us in Washington, D.C., for the next event in our orbital data centers series. Our program kick off with a fireside chat with the FCC's Jay Schwarz and includes discussions with leaders from Star Catcher, Overview Energy, The Aerospace Corporation, Voyager Technologies, Technology Strategy Partners, Planet and more. See the full agenda and request an invitation. |
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Sounds Like a No
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Welker: "And would you go to to the moon?"
Fetterman: "Would I go to the moon? I don't think they have 4XL in a suit."
Britt: "The size of that thing, John, was like the size of a minivan. So that may be a little cramped."
Fetterman: "I don't think I have to worry about it, honestly."
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– An exchange featuring NBC "Meet the Press" anchor Kristen Welker and Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) during NBC's "Common Ground" event in Washington on Thursday.
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