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14 Sep 23. Comtech Launches Network Agnostic Dynamic Cloud Platform for Satellite Providers. Comtech (NASDAQ: CMTL) announced today its Dynamic Cloud Platform (DCP) is now available for commercial and government satellite service providers in U.S. and international markets. Comtech’s DCP will enable traditionally disparate satellite systems and ground station infrastructures to be easily integrated, creating a new path to introduce cloud-based applications, waveforms, and services. The company’s DCP is designed to be infrastructure, cloud, and application agnostic—allowing satellite customers to easily orchestrate, integrate, and manage a wide variety of applications, waveforms, and services across private, public, and hybrid cloud-based networks.
“We have proven and extensive experience integrating a variety of 5G technologies levering Comtech’s DCP for a number of terrestrial and wireless customers, including tier-1 mobile network operators,” said Ken Peterman, President and CEO, Comtech. “Now, our DCP is expanding into the satellite and space market—opening the door for commercial and government customers to integrate new network agnostic waveforms and applications that will help usher in a new era of ubiquitous, smart-enabled connectivity.”
Comtech is conducting trials and initial testing that will enable multiple satellite-based waveforms to be deployed using DCP across different cloud-based infrastructures. As part of the launch, Comtech’s DCP now offers a unique satellite-based software development kit to allow for the integration of virtualized ground stations and other applications across cloud networks. Comtech is also offering professional services to assist satellite customers with the integration of new applications on its DCP.
15 Sep 23. Firefly Aerospace Successfully Launches U.S. Space Force VICTUS NOX Responsive Space Mission with 24-Hour Notice. Firefly Aerospace, an end-to-end space transportation company, today announced the company successfully launched its Alpha rocket and deployed the VICTUS NOX spacecraft following a 24-hour notice to complete final payload operations and mission preparations. Led by U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Space Safari Program Office and in close partnership with the Rocket Systems Launch Program, the mission advances the nation’s capability to rapidly respond to on-orbit needs during a conflict or in response to a national security threat.
“Today was an incredible success for the Space Force, the Firefly team, and our nation after nailing this complex responsive space mission,” said Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “Our combined commercial and government team executed the mission with record speed, agility, and flexibility, adding a critical capability to address national security needs.”
Upon receiving the notice to launch and orbit requirements from the U.S. Space Force, Firefly completed all final launch preparations, including trajectory software updates, payload encapsulation, transport to the launch pad, mating to Alpha, and fueling, within 24 hours. Alpha then launched at the first available window, 27 hours after receipt of launch orders.
The flight began with a nominal countdown and liftoff at 7:28 p.m. PDT on September 14th and progressed seamlessly through each stage of flight, including stage one main engine cutoff (MECO), stage separation, and stage two ignition. Alpha then deployed the Millennium Space Systems satellite at the target destination in low Earth orbit. Firefly also successfully tested an Alpha stage two relight and targeted re-entry.
“I’m incredibly proud of this team for completing these critical mission milestones and successfully launching in a matter of hours rather than weeks or months in a typical operation,” said Adam Oakes, VP of Launch Vehicles at Firefly Aerospace. “As our third flight, this mission further validates Firefly’s technology rigor, passion, and dedication that’s required to prevail as the leading responsive launch provider for both government and commercial customers.”
“The success of the VICTUS NOX mission not only proves a key aspect of the United States’ TacRS capability but provides true utility to the warfighter,” said Col. Bryon McClain, Program Executive Officer for the Space Domain Awareness and Combat Power directorate, which oversees SSC’s Space Safari program office. “Working closely with our Assured Access to Space team and industry partners, the Space Safari team continues to demonstrate how TacRS enables us to quickly respond to urgent on-orbit needs.”
Building on today’s success, Firefly is ramping up Alpha production and testing for multiple upcoming launches, including missions in support of Lockheed Martin, NASA, the NRO, and more. (Source: PR Newswire)
15 Sep 23. New satellite constellations in low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO) or geostationary orbit (GEO) allow uninterrupted connectivity on land, at sea and in the air. Besides classic A&D satellite applications, the new orbits will enable new services such as global tracking, internet of things (IoT), remote sensing or non-terrestrial networks (NTN), which will drive demand for SATCOM infrastructure testing in the coming years.
Rohde & Schwarz has joined forces with IMST to demonstrate a powerful solution for SATCOM terminal testing at the EuMW in Berlin. Testing the performance of satellite terminal systems and components with appropriate signals under realistic over-the-air conditions is crucial. SATCOM infrastructure size, formfactor, weight and performance are all challenging for SATCOM terminal manufacturers.
At the EuMW, Rohde & Schwarz and IMST will showcase a test solution that uses the compact R&S ATS1800C CATR based test chamber from Rohde & Schwarz for OTA measurements to characterize a SANTANA IV antenna array module from IMST. The R&S ATS1800C has a high-quality CATR reflector that creates a large quiet zone (QZ) for much higher measurement certainty relative to other solutions. The R&S ZNA vector network analyzer can comprehensively test and reliably characterize DUTs. R&S AMS32 software measures technical parameters such as magnitude and phase of far field and near field distributions, as well as metrics such as error vector magnitude (EVM) to characterize the digitally-modulated transceiver performance.
The SANTANA IV module (FKZ 50RK1925) is a smart antenna terminal designed by IMST. It is equipped with electronically controlled antenna beam steering that allows the beam shape and pointing direction to be electronically adjusted without any moving mechanical parts. The TX antenna array has 64 elements that support dual linear or circular polarization. The array was designed for an operating frequency range from 29.5 GHz to 30 GHz, which can be used for applications such as SATCOM-on-the-move (SOTM). The single 64-element module can be used as a base module for larger arrays.
MDA Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a leading provider of advanced technology and services to the rapidly expanding global space industry, today revealed at the World Satellite Business Week conference initial details about its new software-defined digital satellite product line as the market continues to transform from analog to digital software-defined satellites.
“The satellite industry comes together at World Satellite Business Week to define the new technologies that will determine the next generation of global satellite connectivity and business, and that discussion has never been more dynamic than it is right now,” said Nathan de Ruiter, Managing Director of Euroconsult Canada. “We are at the very beginning of a long-term transition from analog to digital satellite technology that in the decade ahead will drive new business models, revenue streams and competitive advantages for operators, manufacturers, and commercial end-users alike. Companies like MDA who are making smart and strategic investments in new satellite innovation and infrastructure are at the forefront of that transition.”
The technology transition from analog to digital satellite solutions offers significant benefits to satellite operators looking to improve performance while at the same time driving time, cost and complexity out of their LEO constellation networks.
“As we considered next-generation technologies for Telesat Lightspeed we revisited MDA’s digital solution and it was a game changer. It is much more efficient than the analog solutions we had been considering previously, and capable of delivering roughly three times the number of beams,” said Dan Goldberg, President and CEO of Telesat. “MDA has continued to invest in their digital satellite technology, resulting in our ability to decrease our satellite bus size without compromising our service performance, resiliency or overall usable capacity in our network.”
11 Sep 23. Telesat has selected MDA as the prime satellite contractor for Telesat Lightspeed, the operator’s revolutionary LEO constellation. MDA is developing a fully integrated portfolio of modular digital products and components for space-based communication solutions, with Telesat as the anchor customer.
“Next generation satellite technology is the catalyst for industry transformation – from analog to digital, programs to products and one-offs to hundreds,” said Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA. “Our MDA Satellite Systems team is strategically focused on developing the digital satellite products and the advanced manufacturing capability and capacity to help lead that change with and for our customers.”
To support increasing customer demand as the industry transitions from analog to digital satellite technologies, MDA is bringing to market a new software-defined digital satellite product line, providing critical new solutions to satellite operators and prime manufacturers. The fully integrated portfolio includes a complete range of modular digital products and components for space-based communication solutions coupled with advanced high-volume manufacturing capable of producing two satellites a day – dramatically reducing production costs and schedule.
Key features of MDA’s software-defined satellite product portfolio include:
- A new class of standardized and modular software-defined satellites enabled by a suite of innovative digital payload technologies that meet multiple non-geostationary orbits and frequencies, with dynamic in-orbit reconfiguration, maximizing delivered capacity and quality of service to users with unprecedented power efficiency.
- A scalable regenerative on-board processor with a built-in software-defined packet router, optimizing communication routes within a constellation between user links, gateway links and optical inter-satellite links.
- A family of digital beamforming-enabled electronically-steered direct radiating arrays addressing multiple non-geostationary orbits and frequencies, with direct RF conversion and native beam hopping capability compliant to DVB standards.
- An innovative constellation software suite comprised of advanced onboard flight telecom software, a real-time digital payload simulator and a scalable constellation network manager.
- An efficient and modular digital payload solution designed for manufacturing to enable faster delivery at substantially reduced cost using MDA’s industry-leading Satellite Manufacturing 5.0 capabilities leveraging automated production lines and AI-enabled robots, cobots and high-skilled assemblers using augmented reality to accelerate mass production.
According to market research firm NSR (an Analysys Mason company), software-defined satellite (SDS) orders have seen a steady rise over the past couple of years. Driven by technological improvements offered by satellite manufacturers on new platforms using software that gives satellite operators control of mission planning, payload operations, and better capacity management, SDS is narrowing the gap between satellite and terrestrial networks. NSR forecasts nearly 26,000 partially or fully flexible SDS satellites will be ordered over the next decade with the entire satellite manufacturing and launch industry working to accommodate the growing trend for high-volume production, lower costs, and standardized offerings. (Source: PR Newswire)
13 Sep 23. Northrop partners with UK firm building semiconductors in space. Northrop Grumman’s U.K. arm is partnering with British firm Space Forge, a startup that plans to manufacture semiconductors in orbit.
The companies announced a “collaborative agreement” on Sept. 12 at the DSEI conference here. Through the arrangement, Northrop will provide technical and business advice, collaborate on design and testing and offer training for Space Forge on microelectronics development.
“Manufacturing in orbit has the potential to open a wide range of opportunities across multiple industrial sectors,” Northrop’s vice president of civil and commercial space, Steve Krein, said in a Sept. 12 statement. “As a global leader in space exploration and in-orbit servicing, we look forward to collaborating to further develop this emerging market.”
Space Forge was established in 2018 with ambitions to develop a spacecraft that can manufacture high-performance materials in orbit. Its ForgeStar vehicle — expected to launch for the first time later this year — is designed to reside in space for up to six months as it performs its manufacturing mission and then return to Earth with materials in tow.
The company has its headquarters in Wales and announced plans in April to expand its manufacturing operations to the U.S., though it has not revealed details on where that facility will be located.
The premise of Space Forge and other nascent companies looking to establish manufacturing capabilities in orbit is that the space environment, particularly conditions like microgravity and ultra-high vacuum, could produce higher quality materials and improve the efficiency of certain manufacturing processes like 3D printing.
While the concept is not new, technology developments in recent decades and the drop-in launch costs have made the business case more feasible — especially for the semiconductor and pharmaceuticals industries.
David Pile, regional director for Northrop’s space business sector in the U.K., Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, said that while semiconductors built in space will initially be more expensive to produce due to the cost of sending them to and from orbit, the goal is to scale the capability within these specialized sectors to make it more affordable.
“Are we ever going to scale up semiconductor manufacturing on orbit versus doing it on Earth for the normal day-to-day things? Probably not,” he told Defense News in a Sept. 13 interview. “It’s always going to be more expensive. But it’s about these niche cases.”
Pile characterized the agreement with Space Forge as the first step in a partnership that could eventually bolster Northrop’s semiconductor supply chain. The defense contractor — which builds the U.S. Air Force’s B-21 bomber and the U.S. Army’s Integrated Battle Command System — has two U.S. foundries where it processes raw materials into semiconductor chips that are eventually integrated into major weapon systems.
For now, Northrop’s role will largely be in validating the Space Force-produced materials after they return to Earth. Pile said the company hasn’t committed to a financial investment in the startup.
“In-space manufacturing is an area we think is going to grow massively in the next few decades, so we’re very keen to work with them,” Pile said. “Given how many electronic systems we build across the company, there’s loads and loads of applications where this is possibly a game changer.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/C4ISR & Networks)
15 Sep 23. UK ISTARI constellation to begin launching from 2026. The UK’s ISTARI constellation will begin launching from 2026, Lieutenant Colonel James Cheeseman, capability development lead at UK Space Command, told Janes at DSEI 2023, held from 12 to 15 September in London.
The launch of the satellites will be staggered, with an expected full operational capability (FOC) achieved by 2031 that will deliver “UK-generated space data”, Lt Col Cheeseman said.
ISTARI is a GBP968 m (USD1,205.28 m) investment to develop a multisatellite system that supports global surveillance and intelligence for military operations. Project Minerva will underpin this future constellation through the development of various operational concept demonstrators – Titania, Tyche, Oberon, and Juno – that respectively seek to investigate the military utility and capabilities of advanced communications, space-based data, optical, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) information.
However, the “operational bracket of 2026–31 [for ISTARI] is slipping” because the Tyche and Oberon demonstrators are running behind schedule by at least a year, Lt Col Cheeseman noted. (Source: Janes)
15 Sep 23. RFA Argus gets broadband internet for crew use on operations. Installation of OneWeb technology onto auxiliary support vessel could be a test case for wider implementation through the Royal Navy.
The UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship Argus has been installed with a low Earth orbit satellite internet capability for use by its 400-strong crew, following a programme of work conducted by communication network OneWeb and distribution partner, Airbus.
An installed maritime terminal will provide low latency, high-speed broadband connectivity to the RFA support ship when deployed on operations. The Kymeta Peregrine u8 terminal, fitted as a pilot while RFA Argus was docked in Falmouth this summer, is the first time that satellite-connectivity technology has been installed one a serving military vessel using the OneWeb network.
RFA Argus serves as the UK’s Primary Casualty Receiving Ship with a 100-bed hospital in times of conflict and is also used as a training vessel for military helicopters operating at sea. In addition, the auxiliary deploys on counter-narcotics and humanitarian aid/disaster relief duties and can support amphibious operations.
Broadband connectively is virtually a prerequisite in the commercial and civilian world but military use when deployed is difficult due to operational security purposes.
According to a OneWeb release, quoting Lieutenant Commander Ben Slater from the Royal Navy’s specialist Digital unit, “enhanced connectivity, such as that delivered by low Earth orbit satellite networks” was an area that the Royal Navy was looking to exploit.
“Through close collaboration with industry partners, we have been able to fit a capability onboard RFA Argus that will enable her crew to keep in touch with family and friends over the OneWeb satellite network and are looking forward to seeing how it performs at sea for the first time on a naval vessel,” Slater added.
The installation of such technology appears could be a test case for potential wider applications throughout the naval service, which unlike its land or air domain counterparts can see crews deployed for months away from family and friends.
RFA Argus was launched as a roll-on, roll-off ferry and container ship in 1981, and was taken up from trade at the onset of the Falkland’s War and used as an aircraft transport vessel before being bought outright. (Source: naval-technology.com)
14 Sep 23. NASA names chief of UFO research; panel sees no alien evidence. NASA on Thursday said it has named a new director of research into what the government calls “unidentified anomalous phenomenon,” or UAP, while the U.S. space agency’s chief said an expert panel that urged deeper fact-finding on the matter found no evidence of an extraterrestrial origin for these objects.
Administrator Bill Nelson made the announcement about the new research chief – without disclosing the person’s identity – after the independent panel of experts recommended in a new report that NASA increase its efforts to gather information on UAP and play a larger role in helping the Pentagon detect them.
UAP are better known to the public as unidentified flying objects, or UFOs.
Nelson during a news conference also gave his personal opinion that life exists beyond Earth.
“There’s a global fascination with UAP. On my travels, one of the first questions I often get is about these sightings. And much of that fascination is due to the unknown nature of it,” Nelson said.
“If you ask me do I believe there’s life in a universe that’s so vast that it’s hard for me to comprehend how big it is, my personal answer is, ‘Yes,'” Nelson added.
But Nelson said the chances that otherworldly beings have visited Earth are low.
The NASA panel, comprising experts in fields ranging from physics to astrobiology, was formed last year and held its first public meeting in June.
“The NASA independent study team did not find any evidence that UAP have an extraterrestrial origin, but we don’t know what these UAP are,” Nelson said, adding that a goal of the agency is to “shift the conversation about UAP from sensationalism to science.”
The U.S. government in the past few years has made several disclosures of information it has gathered regarding a subject that once was met by virtual official silence. It issued a watershed report in 2021 compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in conjunction with a Navy-led task force encompassing numerous observations – mostly from military personnel – of UAP.
“The mission of NASA is to find out the unknown,” Nelson said.
“Whatever we find, we’re going to tell you,” Nelson added, promising transparency on any discoveries.
The new UAP research director will handle “centralized communications, resources and data analytical capabilities to establish a robust database for the evaluation of future UAP,” NASA said.
Nelson told Reuters he does not know the name of the new director. Dan Evans, a senior research official in NASA’s science unit and a member of the study team, said harassment that other panel members had received from the public during their work was “in part” why the new director’s identity was being kept secret.
‘A VITAL ROLE’
“NASA has a variety of existing and planned Earth- and space-observing assets, together with an extensive archive of historic and current data sets, which should be directly leveraged to understand UAP,” the panel’s report said.
“Although NASA’s fleet of Earth-observing satellites typically lack the spatial resolution to detect relatively small objects such as UAP, their state-of-the-art sensors can be directly utilized to probe the state of the local earth, oceanic and atmospheric conditions that are spatially and temporally coincident with UAPs initially detected via other methods,” the report said.
NASA’s science chief Nicky Fox declined to say how much funding the agency would like to allocate toward the continued UAP-tracking effort.
The 2021 government report included some UAP cases that previously came to light in the Pentagon’s release of video from naval aviators showing enigmatic aircraft off the U.S. East and West Coasts exhibiting speed and maneuverability exceeding known aviation technologies and lacking any visible means of propulsion or flight-control surfaces.
That report said defense and intelligence analysts lacked sufficient data to determine the nature of some of the objects, while some could possibly be explained as atmospheric phenomena, advanced aircraft from another country or innocuous objects such as weather balloons.
The new report called UAP “one of our planet’s greatest mysteries.”
“Observations of objects in our skies that cannot be identified as balloons, aircraft or natural known phenomena have been spotted worldwide, yet there are limited high-quality observations. The nature of science is to explore the unknown, and data is the language scientists use to discover our universe’s secrets,” the report stated.
“Despite numerous accounts and visuals, the absence of consistent, detailed and curated observations means we do not presently have the body of data needed to make definitive, scientific conclusions about UAP,” it added. (Source: Reuters)
14 Sep 23. RTX to begin international deployment of ground-based Low Earth Orbit observation system. Raytheon NORSS – Raytheon’s UK-based space domain awareness specialist – announced today the international deployment of its Low Earth Orbit Optical Camera Installation, called LOCI, that was built and developed in the United Kingdom. Raytheon is an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business.
This ground-based space domain awareness sensor system is being deployed in the Sierra Mountains, California, in the United States and has been tailored to tackle the challenges of low-Earth orbit optical observation. LOCI provides critical observation data on objects in low-Earth orbit, including space debris, defence assets and commercial spacecraft.
“By deploying LOCI, we are expanding our existing sensor network internationally to improve our coverage and, ultimately, our awareness of what is occurring on orbit,” explained Sean Goldsbrough, head of Raytheon NORSS. “These intelligently selected locations will increase the quantity and quality of data we’re collecting and allow our customers deeper insights into what is happening with and around their assets of interest and the overall space environment.”
The Sierra Mountains are an ideal location for deployment given their minimal light pollution and cloud coverage, allowing LOCI to capture high quality images with limited environmental interference. Further international locations are already under discussion as the Raytheon NORSS team looks to expand its capabilities in coming years.
“The space domain already shapes our way of life, and our ability to monitor and support assets in orbit is critical to ensuring space continues to yield the technological benefits we associate with it,” Goldsbrough said. “With the global deployment of LOCI, a technology that places Raytheon at the forefront of space-based technologies, we can provide our partners with a more comprehensive picture of what is taking place in low Earth orbit”.
LOCI was developed by Raytheon NORSS in Northumberland, UK using internal research and development funding.
14 Sep 23. Germany signs U.S.-led space norms pact Artemis Accords. Germany on Thursday became the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, a U.S.-led multilateral agreement meant to establish norms of behavior in space and on the lunar surface.
The signing marks a key addition to a growing slate of countries aligning their space policies and standards of cooperation with the United States, as nations including China and India eye the moon as stage for technological advances and national prestige.
India, which last month became the fourth nation to achieve a soft landing on the moon, agreed to join the Artemis Accords in June but China and Russia have not.
Germany became the latest signatory at the German ambassador’s residence in Washington during an event attended by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Walther Pelzer, head of the German Space Agency.
“It’s a big deal, because Germany is the economic powerhouse of Europe and has been a part of the European space program forever,” Nelson told Reuters on Thursday before the signing.
The accords aim to clarify and modernize principles of the widely ratified 1967 Outer Space Treaty by urging scientific transparency and establishing rules of coordination to avoid harmful interference in space and on the moon.
The pact is a diplomatic prong of the U.S. Artemis program, which was formed in 2019 with the goal of returning the first crew of astronauts to the lunar surface since 1972. Several short and long-term missions in the program aim to use the moon as a proving ground for spacecraft ahead of more difficult astronaut treks to Mars in the future.
NASA has marshaled global allies and an array of private companies around the Artemis program to put NASA astronauts on the moon by 2027, a target that has been delayed from 2024 and is likely to be pushed back again amid spacecraft development delays.
Russia, an integral partner of NASA’s on the International Space Station, had considered participation in the Artemis program before instead agreeing to join China’s moon program, which also seeks to put humans on the lunar surface.
Japan, various European countries and other nations with big to small space programs have joined the accords. The European Space Agency (ESA), which represents 22 member states including Germany, is a core NASA partner on Gateway, a planned space station that will orbit the moon as part of the Artemis program.
“It’s vital to demonstrate unity and solidarity, and Germany signing signals unification among the pillar nations of ESA,” Mike Gold, NASA’s former international affairs chief and a key architect of the accords, told Reuters. (Source: Reuters)
11 Sep 23. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today announced the opening of its Operations Center of the Future, a technology test bed showcasing how tomorrow’s satellite operators will be able to manage multiple space missions simultaneously using a web-based, secure cloud infrastructure.
The Lockheed Martin self-funded, futuristic operations center, located on the company’s campus near Denver, Colo., utilizes its proven Compass™ Mission Planning and Horizon™ Command and Control (C2) software. This software has already flown more than 50 spacecraft, performing government, research and commercial space missions. The powerful ground system allows for the management of single satellites – or entire constellations of similar or entirely different satellite types – by a single operator at the same time, from almost anywhere.
“The Operations Center of the Future’s next-generation AI, automation and cloud capabilities enable operators to remain closer to the mission than ever before, regardless of their physical location,” said Maria Demaree, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Space’s National Security Space business. “Remote operators can instantly receive timely mission alerts about satellite operations, and then securely log-in to make smart, fast decisions from virtually anywhere.”
The innovative test bed first proved its concept of operations earlier this year by successfully flying the company’s In-space Upgrade Satellite System (LM LINUSS™) demonstrator, which proved how small satellites can help upgrade and sustain space architectures with new capabilities.
The center’s automation and artificial intelligence/machine learning capabilities allow it to manage satellite constellations of almost any size. The center’s flexibility allows for minimal staff requirements as operators can use the same baseline software regardless of mission, and enables “lights out” operations by providing remote operation agility and resiliency.
14 Sep 23. Department of Defense Releases Space Policy Review and Strategy on Protection of Satellites. The Department of Defense recently released to Congress a combined response to the Fiscal Year 2022 NDAA requirement for a Space Policy Review and the Fiscal Year 2023 NDAA requirement to make publicly available an unclassified strategy for the protection and defense of on-orbit assets.
Space plays a critical role in American security, prosperity, and way of life and is critical to overall military effectiveness across the entire Joint Force. The Department of Defense is investing in space at the highest level ever to deter aggression and, if deterrence fails, to be prepared to prevail in conflict.
Informed by the 2022 National Defense Strategy and other Department- and national-level guidance, the response to Congress communicates the strategy of the Department of Defense to defend its national security interests in space from the growing scope and scale of counterspace threats by:
- Assuring critical space-based missions by accelerating the transition to more resilient architectures and by protecting and defending critical systems against counterspace threats;
- Strengthening the ability to detect and attribute hostile acts in, from, and to space; and
- Protecting the Joint Force from adversary hostile uses of space.
To do so, DoD will leverage a breadth of options across all operational domains to deter aggression and, if deterrence fails, to prevail in conflict.
As the Department defends U.S. national security interests in space, it will continue to demonstrate leadership in both the responsible use of space and stewardship of the space environment.
The unclassified report can be found here.: COMPREHENSIVE-REPORT-FOR-RELEASE.PDF (defense.gov) (Source: US DoD)
14 Sep 23. UK Space Agency launches consultation on variable liability limits for orbital operations. New proposals for deciding liability limits for satellite operators, in the event of an incident in space and how operators are insured, have been set out.
The proposals from the UK Space Agency follow a review into the UK’s approach to setting the amount of an operator’s liability in licences for orbital operations, a key commitment of the government’s National Space Strategy. The consultation on the proposals focuses on how the government intends to implement its new approach to setting variable limits of liability to support the needs of satellite operators.
The proposal is to adopt the new variable approach with different amounts of liability for different missions – as opposed to the current ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach of a flat-rate amount of €60 m. The consultation is also seeking views on refunding licence fees for companies that commit to sustainable practices – reflecting the importance of keeping space safe and secure for current and future generations.
George Freeman MP, Minister for Space at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said:
The Space & Satellite sector is delivering huge benefits to us all – from high-speed internet to monitoring climate change – but launching satellites is still too expensive, risky & hard to finance.
That’s why as Minister for the Civil Space sector I’m reforming the regulatory framework to give responsible satellite operators better licensing, insurance and financing.
Today’s proposal to adopt a flexible new liabilities framework will help us grow the City of London as a global hub for commercial satellite licensing, financing and insurance – while incentivising companies to build sustainability into the DNA of the new space economy.
Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:
This consultation is an important step forward for the space sector as the proposed changes will reduce the risks associated with satellite operations and promote safe and sustainable practices. This in turn will reduce insurance and regulatory costs for operators, and support our work to catalyse investment into the UK space sector by improving access to finance.
We want the UK to continue to be a world leader in space sustainability which is why this consultation looks at ways to encourage satellite missions to protect the space in which they orbit.
Under the UK regulatory regime for satellite operations, each licence granted to a satellite operator contains a designated amount for the operator’s liability to cover costs arising if an incident, such as a collision, involving their satellite were to occur. Satellite operators are required by licence conditions to insure themselves against these costs to meet their obligations to indemnify claims made by third parties against either the UK government or the operators themselves.
The consultation will also help inform government policy on a range of areas relating to longer-term space sustainability. Another of the key proposals in the consultation is for the UK government to develop a space sustainability roadmap out to 2050 and beyond.
This would support the extensive work of the UK government and the wider space sector on the issue of space sustainability. In particular, the government is supporting the on-going work of the Earth & Space Sustainability Initiative (ESSI).
ESSI is an industry-led initiative funded by the UK Space Agency that is developing new sets of Space Sustainability Principles. The aim is to support the establishment of global and transparent Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Space Sustainability Standards, which are recognised by the finance and insurance communities and by policy makers around the world. Further engagement with the insurance and finance sectors and the development of the Standards is underway.
Joanne Wheeler, Director of ESSI, said:
The benefits we derive from space are too large to be undermined by neglect for the space environment. The research being carried out by ESSI will allow us to understand what space sustainability looks like, how it can be evaluated in an objective way, and what steps can be taken with the finance and insurance communities, industry and stakeholders across the world to promote space sustainability.
The changes proposed in the consultation contain measures which could reduce the regulatory cost-burden to industry. The consultation provides an update on the government’s assessment of three possible alternative ways to insure an operator’s third-party liability requirements set out in UK licence conditions for orbital operations. This includes a proposal from the Satellite Financing Network to establish a sector-led mutual, which was provided in response to the call for evidence issued to inform the liability and insurance review.
Following the end of the consultation, the government will issue its response to the consultation to reflect the feedback received and will implement the recommendations as soon as possible thereafter.
The consultation is available for 12 weeks. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
13 Sep 23. Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) and Aegiq, a quantum networking and computing company, have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore creating a comprehensive solution to enable more precise and cost-effective design and deployment of space payloads and related ground assets. The collaboration intends to combine Honeywell’s atmospheric sensing technology and Aegiq’s emulation toolkit for link performance of optical communication technologies used by small satellites.
“A solution that utilizes our expertise blends two proven technologies to enable precise evaluation of secure optical communication links within real-time atmospheric conditions producing critical information for system design and cost analyses,” said Maksym Sich, chief executive officer, Aegiq.
Aegiq’s Atlas toolkit simulates the performance of free-space optical and quantum communication networks, and specifically quantum key distribution (QKD), enabling insight into network performance metrics. Honeywell’s high-altitude LiDAR atmospheric sensing (HALAS) is a remotely operated, ground-based weather information system that provides near real-time, high-altitude atmospheric measurements in as little as three minutes. The HALAS system sends as many as 10 laser pulses per second into the sky over a targeted area of interest and provides more accurate readings than data from weather balloons at altitudes exceeding 100,000 feet (30 kilometers).
Although the path of a weather balloon is unpredictable, HALAS users can pinpoint where in the atmosphere weather data is needed, and that location can be adjusted quickly and easily.
According to McKinsey & Company research, the number of satellite communications launches has grown by about 15% a year since 2017. Looking ahead to 2030, McKinsey anticipates as many as 65,000 new communications satellites and 3,000 noncommunications satellites
Currently used approaches suffer from inefficiencies and rely on deploying weather-monitoring solutions and analyzing data after collection, typically after a set time. A Honeywell-Aegiq solution intends to incorporate real-time atmospheric data obtained by HALAS into a tool that simulates the link performance between space and ground assets. The solution aims to allow operators to evaluate data rate and quantum key rates at a set location quickly and with more accuracy than currently possible, and to enable precise ground station to satellite link communication, so that the asset can be redeployed if required.
“The data from our solution can inform the design and launch of satellites and ground operations, helping customers reduce operational costs while also reducing unsuccessful missions caused by marginal weather conditions. We look forward to working with the team at Aegiq, and their quantum technology competence, to deliver this unique capability,” said Matt Wiebold, offering management director for HALAS, Honeywell Aerospace.
Honeywell and Aegiq intend to work together to define a product development roadmap based on customer feedback that includes HALAS, Atlas and other potential adjacent product developments in the design and deployment of optical communication, networking and sensing for both space and ground segments.
11 Sep 23. US kept in dark over axing of $1.2bn EO program. The Australian federal government held off on informing the US that it was scrapping the $1.2 bn Earth observation program until the 11th hour.
Emails obtained by The Australian reveal top government officials told its Washington embassy, two days before the public announcement, not to discuss the news with the US yet, and a planned meeting with NASA was cancelled.
The US was eventually informed the day before the news went public, after the embassy pushed back and said it was its “strong feeling” that the National Space Council should be informed that evening.
Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the revelations, obtained through Freedom of Information laws, showed “appalling behaviour towards the US”.
However, a spokesperson for Science Minister Ed Husic said in response, the government had, in fact, been “upfront and transparent” about not proceeding with the program.
The federal government confirmed on 29 June it would scrap the high-profile National Space Mission for Earth Observation (NSMEO), designed to help detect bushfires from space.
The project, significantly announced by the previous administration in the weeks leading up to the election, would have seen four local satellites launched from 2028.
It was hoped the initiative would reduce Australia’s reliance on international partners to provide its Earth observation data.
It significantly followed the cancelling of a separate promise to invest $32.3m into Australia’s spaceports and launch sites.
In the weeks since, a string of high-profile industry figures have criticised the cuts.
Swinburne University professor Alan Duffy has said the move has had a “chilling factor” on the sector, while Equatorial Launch Australia chief executive officer Michael Jones went further, accusing space of now being a low priority for the new government.
“Call it what it is: the lack of federal government support with the change in government makes me nervous, and it makes the job really hard,” said Jones at the Australian Space Summit.
He hinted he believes space is now an afterthought for the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and quipped you had to “look hard” on its website to even spot the Australian Space Agency (ASA).
“Poor Enrico [Palermo, head of the ASA] is three or four levels down in that organisation, and that really worries me. As an industry, we had claims last year that we’re looking for 20,000 jobs and $20 bn of economic stimulus in the future. We’re not going to get there if we don’t support the industry.
“Because as we travel around the world trying to get rocket companies to come to Australia, there are a number of impediments for them that we have to design strategies to overcome.
“We’re also competing against sovereign entities almost everywhere, who are supporting the industry in very, very financial and demonstrable ways, which make it hard for us to compete.”
However, Palermo has, in response, called on the sector to “take perspective” and argued the federal government had actually reaffirmed the role of the ASA.
In his keynote address to the Australian Space Summit 2023, he said, “As a sector, we’re all familiar with the overview effect, or at least I hope we are – the perspective astronauts get when they look down on Earth from space. And in some respects, I think we need to take the same sense of perspective with regards to this year’s budget.
“Yes, it’s not the budget we may have hoped for. But the government is still committed to space, and we must use this moment as an opportunity to continue our growth we’ve seen in recent years and transition.
“Other industries have long navigated the ebbs and flows of budgets, and now it’s time for our sector to demonstrate our maturity. We must lift our gaze and seize all the opportunities that are out there.”
Responding to The Australian’s revelations, a spokesperson for Minister Husic said, “We have been upfront and transparent about not proceeding with the NSMEO program.
“While there is understandable disappointment about the program not proceeding, it is important to note no commercial contracts had been entered into.
“Our relationship with the US is deep and enduring, including significant cooperation on space. This includes regular, ongoing dialogue between officials.” (Source: Defence Connect)
13 Sep 23. LMO Space partners with In-Space Missions on AUREA SDA programme. LMO (Luxembourg & UK) and In-Space Missions Ltd (UK) have partnered to explore the use of small satellite platforms for space-based Space Domain Awareness (SDA) as part of LMO’s AUREA (Autonomous Recognition of Foreign Assets) programme. In-Space Missions, a subsidiary of BAE Systems, will study the mission scope of a space-based SDA demonstrator small satellite with a software stack on the ground to demonstrate end-user compatibility.
Michel Poucet, CEO of LMO, said: “Partnering with In-Space Missions will allow us to accelerate the validation process of our Protect and Defend architecture, and demonstrate our core SDA capability to end users within NATO and the Five Eyes.”
Doug Liddle, CEO of In-Space Missions, said: “At In-Space Missions, we recognise the importance of monitoring the Earth’s orbital environment and synthesising an accurate picture of an increasingly contested space domain. To ensure a secure future in space, the safety of our satellite assets, and the security of those people who depend on them for critical services, we will continue to develop capabilities around space domain awareness. As an important step forward in growing these capabilities, In-Space is delighted to be working on this project with LMO – a company recognised as a domain leader in space domain awareness.”
In-Space Missions will work with LMO and SDA end-users, to define the mission requirements, characterise the constraints of the satellite platform and avionics, and identify any development gaps. The study will also identify and define Space Resident Objects (SROs) and orbits of interest, assess real time on-edge processing needs, and determine the number of satellites required to deliver LMO’s full AUREA SDA service.
The AUREA programme will focus on multi-sensor and multi-modal technologies including optical, LiDAR and radar instruments. As part of the project, a simulator of the on-board computer will be delivered to LMO for full end-to-end testing of the software, paving the way for the launch of an AUREA SDA demonstration mission.
AUREA is a dual-use development programme for SDA with funding from Luxembourg’s Directorate of Defence to support the development of capabilities for Luxembourg and its European and NATO Allies, such as the UK.
Colonel Guy Hoffman, Luxembourg National Armaments Director, said: “Space Domain Awareness is essential for informed decision-making and thus a priority for Luxembourg Directorate of Defence’s space strategy. We need innovative dual-use solutions with military and societal benefits. That was the very ambition of our first R&D call for proposals. As the AUREA programme met all our expectations, it is one of the projects we will fund in the framework of the call.”
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