Global Scans · Space · Weekly Summary

• [New] Rocket Lab will have a satellite on standby to go up and inspect True Anomaly's spacecraft and will launch it when the Space Force gives the launch order. Wired
• [New] The US Space Force announced Thursday it is partnering with two companies, Rocket Lab and True Anomaly, for a first-of-its-kind mission to demonstrate how the military might counter on-orbit aggression. Wired
• [New] The Space Force and its partners, including Firefly Aerospace and Millennium Space Systems, managed to prepare and launch the Victus Nox satellite in record time, demonstrating the potential for rapid response in space logistics. Army Recognition
• [New] True Anomaly, a spacecraft and software company based in Colorado, received $30 million to provide one of its Jackal space vehicles for the mission, slated to launch in 2025. C4ISRNET
• [New] NASA will provide two seats on future Artemis lunar landing missions to astronauts from the Japanese space agency JAXA, the first agency other than NASA to secure spots on landing missions. SpaceNews
• [New] Rocket Lab was awarded a $32 million contract and True Anomaly got a $30 million contract for Victus Haze, a demonstration mission intended to test and refine the military's capabilities for rapidly deploying satellites in response to threats in space. SpaceNews
• [New] SpaceX's plans to use T-Mobile's cellular radio waves from space could cause interference that would derail its proposed MSS constellation. SpaceNews
• [New] Commercial space station developer Vast will use SpaceX's Starlink constellation to provide broadband connectivity for its Haven-1 station launching in 2025. SpaceNews
• [New] The integration between U.S. and Japanese constellations of LEO satellites provides an opportunity to improve communications and increase the resilience of both nations' space capabilities. The White House
• [New] Japan will provide and maintain a pressurized rover to support astronauts living and working on the Moon, while the United States will allocate two astronaut flight opportunities to the lunar surface for Japan on future Artemis missions. The White House
• [New] The U.S. will allocate two astronaut flight opportunities to the lunar surface for Japan on NASA's future Artemis missions. Voice of America (VOA News)
• [New] Thales Alenia Space has signed a framework contract divided into different tranches with the European Space Agency, worth a total of €522m, to continue essential activities for the completion of the ExoMars 2028 mission. SpaceWatch.Global
• [New] The integration of space data in international development projects holds immense potential for fostering sustainability and addressing global challenges. GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
• [New] The industry of space and access to it will become one of the biggest parts of the global economy, owing to the use of space - and satellite-enabled technologies widely. ThePrint
• [New] Today's space travelers might not have access to a timely rescue in an emergency; neither the U.S. government nor commercial spaceflight providers currently have in-space rescue plans or capabilities to aid distressed spacecraft in low Earth orbit - or anywhere else in space. SpaceNews
• [New] Investments coming from the US and Europe will be consistent and provide a very attractive space for the foreseeable future - not just a cycle of two years before drying up but more for the next couple of decades. Via Satellite
• [New] The US space agency anticipates awarding one of the three companies a demonstration task order - meaning a test run for their Lunar Terrain Vehicle, on the surface of the moon, prior to the arrival of crew for the Artemis 5 mission that is currently set for 2030. phys.org
• [New] The European Space Agency said Thursday it will launch a satellite in June which will improve weather forecasting in the Arctic - a region highly exposed to the effects of global warming. phys.org
• [New] After the launch of True Anomaly's Jackal, the Space Force will give Rocket Lab a 24-hour call - up to launch its satellite, similar in size to True Anomaly's spacecraft, on an Electron rocket from New Zealand or from Virginia. Wired
• Europe, China and the US are currently looking into space-based solar, with Xidian University setting a target of 2028 to have a solar power plant in space. The Telegraph
• The US has far more satellites in orbit than any other nation, comprising 2926 active payloads to Russia's 167. The Conversation
• We can now expect people to choose satellite services as they do mobile services, directly linking average consumers to the vast network of satellites orbiting our planet. SpaceNews

Last updated: 15 April 2024