Author: starpathwp-production
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Pentagon Says SDA Meeting Minimum Viable Product, But GAO Notes Problems
The Department of Defense (DoD) says that the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA) has met the “minimum viable product” (MVP) standard for the agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture Tranche 0 Transport Layer communications satellites and Tracking Layer missile warning satellites, but a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said that four evaluated contractors for…
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Spire Demonstrates Laser Communications in its Constellation
Spire has demonstrated optical communications between two satellites in orbit in its constellation for the first time, Spire reported on March 3. The demonstration took place between two satellites equipped with optical inter-satellite link (OISL) payloads that launched in June of 2023. The OISLs are designed to transmit data up to 5,000 km apart. The…
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SWISSto12 to Develop SES’s O3b mPOWER Ground Terminals for Remote Region Connectivity
SWISSto12, one of the world’s fastest-growing Radio Frequency (RF) product and GEO small satellite manufacturers has been selected by SES to develop innovative large aperture electronically steered antenna for its customer user terminals for its second generation medium earth orbit (MEO) constellation, O3b mPOWER. O3b mPOWER, operational since 2024, is designed to bring high-performance connectivity…
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Varda Space Successfully Lands W-2 Capsule in Australia
Varda Space Industries, a microgravity-enabled life sciences company, announced the successful landing of its second reentry capsule, W-2, and the completion of the company’s second mission. At 6:32 AM Pacific Time, W-2 touched down at the Koonibba Test Range after six weeks in orbit. The W-2 capsule carried a spectrometer built by the Air Force…
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Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Lander Achieves Historic First Commercial Moon Landing
Firefly Aerospace, the leader in end-to-end responsive space services, announced its Blue Ghost lunar lander softly touched down on the Moon’s surface in an upright, stable configuration on the company’s first attempt. As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, named Ghost Riders in the Sky, sets the…
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Maxar Space Systems Wins Contract for GEO Satellite With Unnamed Customer
Maxar Space Systems secured a contract for a Geostationary Orbit (GEO) high-power communications satellite from a private commercial customer, the company announced on March 3. The satellite will be built on the Maxar 1300 series platform at the company’s California facilities in Palo Alto and San Jose. Maxar plans to build a satellite for the…
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Constellation Technologies & Operations Unveils Regenerative 5G mmWave Payload for Space Telecom
Constellation Technologies & Operations (CTO) is delivering on its ambitions after securing €9.3 million in funding in less than six months . The startup is developing a telecommunications satellite constellation in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO), offering high-speed connectivity, low latency, and a more sustainable use of space. CTO unveils its first regenerative operational payload,…
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What’s Next for Direct-to-Device Satellite Communications?
Direct-to-device (D2D) satellite communications has become a focal point in the drive to ubiquitous connectivity for mass-market handset devices. There are two flavors of D2D; the established MSS (mobile satellite services) operators looking to extend their current offerings, adopting new 5G NTN (non-terrestrial network) standards to deliver D2D to next generation handset devices. Then there…
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Chinese remote sensing satellite constellation to offer global services
A Chinese Earth observation constellation, recently expanded with two new satellites launched into orbit in late February, is set to provide global services. The satellites will be targeted at the global market and compete with international leading commercial remote sensing satellites operated by providers such as U.S. Maxar and Europe’s Airbus, according to China Aerospace…
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Rocket Lab Unveils Ocean Platform for Neutron Rocket Landings at Sea
Rocket Lab USA, a global leader in launch services and space systems, has revealed details about ‘Return On Investment’, the ocean landing platform for Neutron missions returning to Earth. ‘Return On Investment’ is a 400 ft (122 m) modified barge that will be customized to enable landings at sea for its reusable Neutron rocket. Modifications…