Author: starpathwp-production
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Astronauts, launch teams practice Artemis 2 countdown
The four crew members of the Artemis 2 mission exit the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building during the Countdown Demonstration Test, a launch day rehearsal for the Artemis 2 mission. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now In a prelude to the real deal, the four astronauts of the Artemis 2 mission boarded their Orion spacecraft inside…
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Russia is about to do the most Russia thing ever with its next space station
For several years now, in discussing plans for its human spaceflight program beyond the International Space Station, Russian officials would proudly bring up the Russian Orbital Station, or ROS. The first elements of ROS were to launch in 2027 so it would be ready for human habitation in 2028. Upon completion in the mid-2030s, the…
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Blue Origin breaks the accessibility barrier by sending the first wheelchair user to space
German engineer Michaela Benthaus celebrates after her suborbital space trip. (Blue Origin via YouTube) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture added a page to the space history books today by sending the first wheelchair user into space. “It was the coolest experience,” said Michaela “Michi” Benthaus, a German-born aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency…
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Space Development Agency awards roughly $3.5 billion to 4 companies for 72 missile tracking and warning satellites
An artist’s rendering of Rocket Lab’s Tracking Layer Tranche 3 (TRKT3) program satellites, which are built on its Lightning satellite platform. Image: Rocket Lab The U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded roughly $3.5 billion to four companies to begin building out the third generation of its low Earth orbit constellation. The SDA issued…
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Rocket Report: Russia pledges quick fix for Soyuz launch pad; Ariane 6 aims high
Welcome to Edition 8.23 of the Rocket Report! Several new rockets made their first flights this year. Blue Origin’s New Glenn was the most notable debut, with a successful inaugural launch in January followed by an impressive second flight in November, culminating in the booster’s first landing on an offshore platform. Second on the list…
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Trump commits to Moon landing by 2028, followed by a lunar outpost two years later
A couple of hours after a judge formally swore in private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the next administrator of NASA on Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order outlining his space policy objectives for the next three years. The executive order, titled “Ensuring American Space Superiority,” states that the country must “pursue a space…
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NASA will soon find out if the Perseverance rover can really persevere on Mars
When the Perseverance rover arrived on Mars nearly five years ago, NASA officials thought the next American lander to take aim on the red planet would be taking shape by now. At the time, the leaders of the space agency expected this next lander could be ready for launch as soon as 2026—or more likely…
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NASA’s PExT Payload Completes Communications Demonstrations
York Space Systems reports the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) payload completed more than 100 communication activities over 48 days of mission operations after it was launched in July. The PExT payload was developed in collaboration with NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). It was hosted on the…
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HawkEye 360 CEO Says ISA Acquisition Will Bolster Hawkeye’s Signals Analysis
HawkEye 360 on Thursday said it has acquired Innovative Signals Analysis (ISA) in a deal that is financially accretive, adds government customers and strengthens its platform for generating insights from the constellation of radio frequency (RF)-based Earth observing satellites it operates. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ISA, which will operate as a subsidiary of…
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Ovzon Secures Satcom Service Order from European Nation
Ovzon will provide satcom services to an undisclosed European NATO nation under a new contract announced Dec. 19 worth 240 million Swedish krona ($25.2 million). The contract includes satellite networks and mobile terminals and supports a NATO nation’s defense organization. The satellite service includes the Ovzon-3 satellite, launched in early 2024. The satellite is designed…