Tag: Ground
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NASA’s Europa Clipper Receives Record-Breaking Solar Arrays for Mission to Jupiter’s Moon
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft recently got outfitted with a set of enormous solar arrays at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The largest spacecraft NASA has ever built for planetary exploration receives massive solar arrays to power it on the journey to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. Each measuring about 46½ feet (14.2 meters) long…
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Leidos Secures Contract to Enhance Missile Warning Systems for U.S. Space Command
Leidos, a Fortune 500 innovative company, was recently awarded a Missile Warning/Missile Track Enhancement (MW/MT) contract by the Space Systems Command, Strategic Warning and Surveillance Systems Acquisition Delta. Leidos will provide mission software and technology-enabled services to enhance missile warning capabilities for the Combatant Commanders Integrated Command and Control Systems (CCIC2S). The award has a…
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Impulse Space Secures $60M STRATFI Award to Advance Helios for Responsive GEO Capabilities
Impulse Space announced its selection by SpaceWERX, sponsored by U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Space Safari Office, for a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) award with the value of $60M between government funds, matching Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funds, and private funds. The work will focus on the company’s high-performance kick stage,…
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Axiom Space Tests Amazon’s Alexa on ISS for Future AI-Assisted Deep Space Missions
In some cases, spacecraft operate in relative isolation, devoid of direct human interaction and decision-making. However, by integrating virtual assistants, we can revolutionize a spacecraft’s architecture and functionality. As humanity ventures farther from Earth, our reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) assistants will inevitably grow. Axiom Space, in collaboration with Amazon and Amazon Web Services (AWS),…
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Loft Orbital and Marlan Space Partners to Launch the First Satellite Production Company in UAE
Abu Dhabi-based Marlan Space, a new space company affiliated with International Holding Company (IHC), has established a joint venture with Loft Orbital to form Orbitworks, the Middle East’s first private space infrastructure company. Orbitworks marks a significant milestone in the UAE’s rapidly growing space sector, becoming the first to produce commercial low Earth orbit (LEO)…
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NASA and Blue Origin Announce Media Event for Mars Mission on New Glenn’s Inaugural Launch
NASA and Blue Origin are preparing for the agency’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) identical dual spacecraft mission, which begins on the inaugural launch of the company’s New Glenn rocket. The mission will study the solar wind’s interaction with the magnetosphere on Mars. As the first multi-spacecraft orbital science mission to Mars,…
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Firefly Aerospace Ships Blue Ghost Lunar Lander for Environmental Testing Ahead of Moon Mission
Firefly Aerospace, an end-to-end space transportation company, announced Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander has arrived at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for environmental testing before the lander ships to Cape Canaveral for a Q4 2024 launch. As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander is integrated with…
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Northrop Grumman Secures Contract for Second DARC Site from the U.S. Space Force
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded its Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) Site 2 contract from the U.S. Space Force. The second site, located in the United Kingdom, continues DARC’s path to become one of the world’s most advanced radars for tracking objects in deep space. This award follows the previous competitive award of DARC…
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Axiom Space and Nokia Partners to Equip Lunar Spacesuits with High-Speed Cellular Networks
Axiom Space has partnered with Nokia to integrate advanced 4G/LTE communication capabilities into the next-generation spacesuits that will be used for the Artemis III lunar mission. Together, Nokia and Axiom Space will incorporate high-speed cellular-network capabilities in the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), supporting HD video, telemetry data and voice transmission over multiple kilometers on…
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Lockheed Martin Advances Infrared Targeting System Production for U.S. Navy’s Super Hornet
U.S. Navy air combat experts are moving forward with early production of the Infrared Search and Track (IRST) Block II aerial targeting system for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jet fighter-bomber under terms of a $132.4 million order last week. Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., are asking…