Author: starpathwp-production
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SDA’s Need for Speed Pushes Startups for Results
In March, the Space Development Agency’s Acting Director Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo said the agency was strategically pausing launches until May. He described technology hurdles, supply chain challenges, and balancing speed in the decision-making process. “Speed does not alleviate you from the fact that you still have to do the diligence you need to do,” Sandhoo…
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GomSpace to Establish New Ukrainian Joint Venture for Sovereign Comms
GomSpace, the Danish satellite company, looks to play a key role in developing sovereign satellite capabilities in Ukraine. It has signed a deal with its Ukrainian partner Stetman which will see the two companies establish the UASAT joint venture in Ukraine to jointly develop the capacity to enable sovereign satellite communication capabilities for Ukraine for dual‑use…
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Well, this is embarrassing: The Lunar Gateway’s primary modules are corroded
For a decade, NASA promoted the idea of building a space station around the Moon known as the Lunar Gateway. It touted the facility as both a platform for exploring the lunar environment and testing the technology needed for deep-space habitation. Like many major space projects, it faced delays. Originally, the first component of the…
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Rocket Lab Introduces Next-Generation Star Tracker Component
Rocket Lab has introduced the next-generation of its star tracker lineup, expanding the company’s component offerings. The new High-Performance Star Tracker (ST-HP), is designed for longer duration spacecraft missions. Rocket Lab has flown more than 185 star tracker units overall; it’s heritage model ST-RT has more than 175 units on orbit since 2013. It also…
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Rocket Report: Artemis III rocket getting ready; SpaceX is now an AI company
Welcome to Edition 8.38 of the Rocket Report! The big news this week concerned the third launch of the New Glenn rocket. The first 15 minutes of the flight were exhilarating for Blue Origin, seeing a previously flown rocket take flight and then triumphantly land on a barge at sea. But then the highest of…
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Visitors to this private space station won’t be wearing shorts and T-shirts
After more than 25 years of US astronauts wearing off-the-rack clothes while living in Earth orbit, a company working to launch the world’s first commercial space station has adopted a more custom approach to its crew attire. Vast has revealed its astronaut flight suit, a two-piece outfit designed to be worn both on and off…
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Space Force awards $3.2B for Golden Dome interceptor prototypes
What does the Space Force’s $3.2 billion Golden Dome contract mean for space-based missile defense? The U.S. Space Force awarded up to $3.2 billion across 12 companies to develop competing prototypes for the Golden Dome boost-phase interceptor program, marking the largest single defense space investment since the Space Development Agency’s initial satellite constellation awards. The…
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US Space Command: Russia is now operationalizing co-orbital ASAT weapons
After several tests of unusual “nesting doll” satellites in low-Earth orbit, Russia is now fielding operational anti-satellite weapons with valuable US government satellites in their crosshairs, the four-star general leading US Space Command said this week. Gen. Stephen Whiting didn’t name the system, but he was almost certainly referring to a Russian military program named…
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FCC Rejects Requests for Sharing in MSS Spectrum, Maintaining Exclusive Rights
The FCC rejected calls to change how it licenses MSS spectrum, dismissing a request by SpaceX and other operators to enter certain spectrum bands. In an order issued Thursday, the FCC reaffirmed Globalstar and Iridium’s exclusive operating rights in spectrum referred to as the “Big LEO” band, a swath of mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum…
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Chinese scientists discover two new lunar minerals
Chinese scientists recently discovered two new lunar minerals in samples retrieved from the moon by China’s Chang’e 5 mission, according to the China National Space Administration. The administration announced on Friday in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, that the two minerals have been reviewed and approved by the International Mineralogical Association’s Commission on New Minerals,…