Author: starpathwp-production
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SDA Readies for Second Award for Tranche 2, After York Space Systems’ Win
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA) expects to award a second contract, possibly next week, for the Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Alpha satellites. This comes after last week SDA Director Derek Tournear said that York Space Systems won a $615 million firm-fixed-price Other Transaction Authorities (OTA) contract to build 62 of the 100 Alpha satellites.…
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Aalyria and HICO Plan to Deploy Laser Communications on Commercial Ships
Aalyria Technologies has a new MoU with HICO Investment Group with a plan to deploy up to 200 of its optical communications platforms on commercial ships worldwide. HICO Investment Group invests in innovative technologies in the maritime and logistics sectors. It was founded by Tim Hartnoll, the executive chairman of X-Press Feeders, a large container shipping…
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Northrop Grumman Completes CDR for Military Relay Ground Station
Northrop Grumman completed a critical design review for a relay ground station that will support missile-warning satellites, the company announced last week. The CDR is for the Relay Ground Station-Asia (RGS-A), for a contract with the U.S. Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific on behalf of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command. The ground…
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NASA wants the Voyagers to age gracefully, so it’s time for a software patch
Forty-six years in deep space have taken their toll on NASA’s twin Voyager spacecraft. Their antiquated computers sometimes do puzzling things, their thrusters are wearing out, and their fuel lines are becoming clogged. Around half of their science instruments no longer return data, and their power levels are declining. Still, the lean team of engineers…
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NanoAvionics Names Interim CEO, Vytenis Buzas to Step Down
NanoAvionics co-founder Vytenis Buzas is stepping down from his role as CEO, the company announced Oct. 24. The company’s Chief Sales Officer Žilvinas Kvedaravičius will take over as interim CEO, with Buzas on the board. NanoAvionics, which is owned by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, said the move positions the company for its next phase of…
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NASA begins to chart path forward on its Mars Sample Return architecture following independent review
This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rocks and soil being collected from the Martian surface by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover.Credit: NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech The next decade will be a critical time for the exploration of Mars with the multi-agency Mars Sample Return (MSR) being the…
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NASA begins to chart path forward on its Mars Sample Return architecture following independent review
This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rocks and soil being collected from the Martian surface by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover.Credit: NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech The next decade will be a critical time for the exploration of Mars with the multi-agency Mars Sample Return (MSR) being the…
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India celebrates “first major milestone” on path to launching astronauts
In 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi committed his nation to develop its own capability to send astronauts into orbit, an achievement that would make India the fourth country with an independent human spaceflight program. On Saturday, that ambition moved a step closer to reality with a successful test of the human-rated spacecraft’s launch-abort system.…
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Redwire to Supply Onboard Computer for ESA Comet Interceptor Mission
Redwire will provide the onboard computer for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Comet Interceptor mission, which will be the first spacecraft to visit a long-period, dynamically new comet or interstellar object. OHB Italy is the prime contractor on the mission, and awarded Redwire’s Belgian subsidiary, Redwire Space NV, the contract. The onboard computer, or the…
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China prepares to launch Shenzhou XVII manned spaceflight
China’s upcoming manned spaceflight, the Shenzhou XVII, is scheduled to be launched very soon to transport three astronauts to the Tiangong space station, China Central Television reported on Sunday. An all-system rehearsal took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China’s Gobi Desert on Sunday, the State broadcaster said, adding that all systems…