Author: starpathwp-production
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NASA Selects SpaceX to Provide Launch Services for Space Weather Satellites
NASA has selected SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, and its Falcon 9 rocket to provide the launch service for the agency’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission, a pair of small satellites that will study space weather and how the Sun’s energy affects Earth’s magnetic environment or magnetosphere TRACERS will be an important…
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NRO Formally Ends Contract with Terran Orbital for SAR
Last month, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) formally ended a commercial radar contract the agency had with PredaSAR, now Terran Orbital, the NRO said on Oct. 2. “PredaSAR did not meet the requirements, such as having a commercial remote sensing satellite on orbit, to move to Stage 2 and its contract ended in August 2023,” the…
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NASA Selects Four Small Explorer Missions to Conduct Concept Studies of the Sun
NASA has selected four small explorer missions to conduct concept studies. These studies aim to expand knowledge of the dynamics of the Sun and related phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections, aurora, and solar wind to better understand the Sun-Earth connection. Any missions selected to move forward after the concept studies are conducted will join…
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Northrop Grumman likely to end its bid for a commercial space station
Nearly two years ago, NASA placed its bets to develop commercial space stations on four companies—Blue Origin, Nanoracks, Northrop Grumman, and Axiom Space. Now, as the US space agency looks to find a successor to the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit, this landscape is shifting dramatically. At the International Astronautical Congress meeting this week…
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NASA Selects 7 Providers for Commercial Smallsat Data Program
NASA has selected seven companies to provide commercial data for the agency’s Earth science research as part of the Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition Program (CSDA). NASA announced Tuesday that Airbus DS Geo, Capella Space, GHGSat, Maxar Intelligence, PlanetiQ, Spire Global, and Umbra Lab are vendors in the program. It is a fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract…
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Simple settings tweak should save Psyche asteroid mission from overheating thrusters
An artist’s conception of the Psyche spacecraft orbiting near the surface of the Psyche asteroid. Image: Maxar/ASU/Peter Rubin. NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, now scheduled for launch on Oct. 12, will dial down the power of its maneuvering system after engineers discovered its thrusters were in danger of overheating during its eight-year expedition to explore a metallic…
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Vega C Won’t Return to Flight Until Late 2024
The Vega C rocket is not expected to return to flight until the fourth quarter of 2024, the European Space Agency announced Monday. Vega C failed during its second mission in December 2022. An independent commission previously determined the failure dealt with the second stage Zefiro40 nozzle, but an updated Zefiro40 engine had significant damages…
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Future Space Economy Series: Cyber Defenses and National Security
Most of us understand the damage caused by cyberattacks on Earth. In space, the consequences of cyberattacks are even more dire. They can sabotage years of economic activity, threaten national security and the lives of astronauts and in-space personnel, and spark uncontrollable military action in an already dangerous environment. In this episode, we’ll learn about…
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Protecting the Space Economy: Cyber Defenses and National Security
Most of us understand the damage caused by cyberattacks on Earth. In space, the consequences of cyberattacks are even more dire. They can sabotage years of economic activity, threaten national security and the lives of astronauts and in-space personnel, and spark uncontrollable military action in an already dangerous environment. In this episode, we’ll learn about…
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Holland America Implements Starlink on its Ships
Cruise company Holland America Line is more than halfway through updating the internet on its fleet of 11 ships to SpaceX’s Starlink service. Holland America announced Monday that it expects to have Starlink internet installed on the remaining five ships in its fleet by mid-December 2023. Its ships Koningsdam, Oosterdam, Volendam, Westerdam, Zaandam and Zuiderdam…