Ball Aerospace has delivered to Vandenberg Space Force Base the MethaneSAT satellite which, once in orbit, will work to identify global sources of methane -- a major contributor to climate warming -- with the help of its two advanced spectrometers. Ball Aerospace said Wednesday that MethaneSAT's instruments will make it possible to track methane emissions at a regional level as well as at the level of individual sources, complementing current capabilities that focus on either scale or precision.

More

Finnish hyperspectral imaging company Kuva Space has entered the U.S. government market by establishing a new business arm headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, to provide Earth observation data and services to federal customers. Jerry Welsh, former CEO of the U.S. arm of satellite technology provider ICEYE, has been appointed to the board of directors of Kuva Space U.S. and will oversee the company's expansion efforts in the U.S. public sector, Kuva Space said Wednesday.

More

The U.S. Space Systems Command has chosen LeoLabs to join its Space Domain Awareness Tools Applications and Processing Lab, or TAP Lab, Apollo Accelerator program. Throughout the initiative’s three-month period, LeoLabs will be given scenarios focused on threat warning and assessment, allowing the company to evaluate and modify its space domain awareness-focused products, the organization announced from Menlo Park, California on Tuesday.

Interested in U.S. space operations? Register for the Potomac Officers Club's 2024 Space Summit now!

More

A unit of Kongsberg’s defense and aerospace business has received a contract from Los Alamos National Laboratory to build another satellite for LANL’s Experiment for Space Radiation Analysis mission. Kongsberg NanoAvionics said Wednesday it will make some mechanical arrangements to configure one of its 12U satellite buses to enable the spacecraft to host payloads for the ESRA mission.

More

RTX's Collins Aerospace subsidiary and partners ILC Dover and Oceaneering have completed the crew capability assessment test on next-generation spacesuits developed for NASA astronauts on the International Space Station. During the test, the spacesuits went through a series of demonstrations in a manufactured zero-gravity environment onboard an aircraft, RTX said Wednesday.

More

SpaceX will research and develop an automated collision avoidance technology under a cooperative research and development agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce. OSC said Wednesday it will conduct an astrodynamics assessment of SpaceX’s software under the CRADA, which includes satellite conjunction evaluation screenings.

Hear government leaders, space experts and industry executives discuss the latest space technologies, commercial investments and urgent issues facing the space domain at the Potomac Officers Club's 2024 Space Summit on March 5. Register here.

More

The Space Systems Command chose Northrop Grumman's Passive Refueling Module as the first preferred refueling standard for its satellites. Northrop said Monday that the system is a result of its agreement with SSC and the Defense Innovation Unit and is part of the Geosynchronous Auxiliary Support Tanker contract.

More

ManTech has opened a new Google Workplace Practice dedicated to sharing best practices for advancing the adoption of secure workplace productivity and artificial intelligence across the government sector. The company said Wednesday the new practice aims to enable rapid innovation, prioritize security, build customer-centric products and services and offer training to customers on Google Cloud […] More

Hewlett Packard Enterprise will send to the International Space Station a commercial off-the-shelf supercomputer as part of an ISS National Laboratory-sponsored experiment meant to further assess high-performance computing in space and improve research capabilities on the orbiting lab. The updated HPE Spaceborne Computer-2 is based on HPE ProLiant and EdgeLine servers and is expected to launch no later than Jan. 29 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida as part of Northrop Grumman’s 20th commercial resupply services mission to the ISS, the national lab said Tuesday.

More

Marshall Smith, formerly vice president of exploration at Voyager Space, has been named chief technology officer of the Denver, Colorado-based space exploration company. He will serve as a member of the board of directors at Starlab Space, a planned joint venture between Voyager and Airbus, and advise the team on the development and operations of […] More

Sierra Space has built and tested a full-scale version of an inflatable structure at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center as part of its efforts to develop commercial space stations. The company said Monday the ultimate burst pressure test was focused on the Large Integrated Flexible Environment habitat's restraint layer developed in partnership with ILC Dover.

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Space Summit on March 5. Click here to register!

More

General Stephen Whiting stepped into his new role as the Commander of the U.S. Space Command in January 2024. He brings over three decades of experience, specializing in aerial and space operations and receiving merits as he ascends through the ranks. General Whiting is one of the most ideal candidates to speak for the 2024 […] More