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08 Jan 24. US Army Orders High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) Technology from Viasat.
- Army to upgrade its rapid deployment capabilities with resilient high-capacity Ka-band solution
Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, has been selected by the U.S. Army as part of its Commercial Satellite High-Throughput, Low Latency assessment (HT-LL).
The Army PEO-C3T has ordered Viasat’s High-Throughput Upgrade Kits, which utilize the Army’s HAWKEYE III LITE terminals connected to the Viasat High-Capacity Ka-band network to provide flexible, secure, and resilient communications. The solution will also provide resilient connectivity with a multi-frequency band and multi-waveform modem with the Viasat CBM-400.
Army officials are currently conducting trials on different solutions for providing high-capacity satellite communications for Army units and Expeditionary Signal Battalions – Enhanced (ESB-E). ESB-E’s are agile battalions which carry tactical network equipment and enable uninterrupted mission command and the ability to rapidly deploy and maneuver units across a battlefield.
As part of the upgrade, the Army’s 51st ESB-E will use the new terminals to connect to Viasat’s HTS network, which provides reliable and resilient Ka-band coverage with throughput rates up to 100 Mbps. The ESB-E’s plan is to test them in different operational environments to provide feedback and inform the overall network design for all ESBs across the Army.
“We’re proud to work with the Army to bring expanded capability to soldiers and show how commercial satellite technology offers significant benefits for military users,” said Victor Farah, Head of Viasat Government Systems. “Our High Throughput Satellite technology enables resilient connectivity across Viasat’s high-capacity Ka-band network and can be set up in a matter of minutes with minimal training required. That is a major win for the warfighter when operations require fast connectivity with minimum complexity.” (Source: ASD Network)
12 Jan 24. Mitsubishi Heavy launches H-IIA rocket carrying Japan’s spy satellite. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T) launched an H-IIA rocket carrying the Japanese government’s Information-Gathering Satellite “Optical-8”, the company said in a post on social media X on Friday.
It was the 48th launch of Japan’s flagship launch vehicle since 2001, bringing the success rate of the rocket, developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), to 97.92%.
Japan plans to retire H-IIA after two more launches and replace it with H3, but has been struggling with the transition after JAXA’s first test launch failed in March last year. The H3’s second test launch is slated for Feb. 15. (Source: Reuters)
09 Jan 24. NASA delays astronaut moon landing to 2026 amid spacecraft ‘challenges.’
NASA on Tuesday added more delays to its Artemis moon program, scheduling for 2026 its first astronaut lunar landing in half a century while spacecraft from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) and other contractors face development challenges.
The U.S. space agency’s first two Artemis missions involving astronauts were each pushed back nearly a year in delays designed “to give the Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson told reporters in a news conference.
Artemis 3, the first crewed moon landing under the program using SpaceX’s Starship, is now scheduled for September 2026, previously planned for late 2025, NASA said.
The precursor to that moon landing mission, Artemis 2, was also delayed, now planned for September 2025, NASA said. Artemis 2 involves four astronauts flying the Lockheed-built Orion capsule around the moon and back. Reuters reported on Monday the moon mission delays were imminent.
The new schedule “acknowledges the very real development challenges that have been experienced by our industry partners,” said Amit Kshatriya, head of NASA’s moon and Mars exploration strategy.
NASA astronauts’ journey to the moon will be a relay among multiple spacecraft in space, initially launching off Earth aboard Orion then transferring in space to SpaceX’s Starship system to go to and from the lunar surface.
Issues and investigations around Orion’s heat shield, the shell that protects astronauts from the heat of re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, and the spacecraft’s batteries and electrical system are among the reasons for the delays, Kshatriya said.
Orion first launched to space in 2022 without people aboard in NASA’s Artemis 1 mission, which marked the first flight of the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket.
SpaceX, though it has been test-launching Starship from Texas, still faces a lengthy to-do list before the craft lands astronauts on the moon. It must demonstrate it can dock and refuel to other “tanker” Starships in orbit, a process inherent to its design in transporting astronauts anywhere beyond Earth’s orbit.
Kshatriya called those feats “extremely challenging.”
Jessica Jensen, SpaceX’s vice president of customer operations and integration who was also on the call with reporters, downplayed the fuel transfer challenges. SpaceX has demonstrated similar docking events in orbit with its Crew Dragon capsule, Jensen said.
Jensen said roughly 10 Starship launches will be required to fill up the “tanker” Starship that will act as an orbital fuel station. The lander Starship will top off there before putting humans on the moon. (Source: Reuters)
10 Jan 24. Hicks: U.S. Aims to Prevent Conflict in Space, Other Domains Through Deterrence. Russia and China are deploying capabilities that can target GPS and other vital space-based systems in an effort to degrade the military space advantage of the U.S. and its allies, said Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.
Hicks made the remarks today in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as Army Gen. James H. Dickinson relinquished command of U.S. Space Command to Space Force Gen. Stephen N. Whiting.
U.S. Space Command is crucial in helping to develop, innovate, promote and practice supporting the safety, stability, security and sustainability of the space domain, she said.
“I want to be clear: Conflict is not inevitable in space or anywhere else. And the United States of America is committed to preventing conflict through deterrence by making clear to our competitors that the costs of aggression would far outweigh any conceivable benefits,” Hicks said.
Hicks pointed out how the Defense Department has launched an ever-growing constellation of smaller, more resilient, lower-cost satellites than were ever previously deployed.
“America’s dynamic commercial space industry enables it and also enables the United States to significantly outpace growth in space launches and payloads over the last five years,” she said.
From 2019 to 2023, China doubled its number of annual space launches and more than tripled how many payloads it put into orbit. That’s real growth, she said.
But over that same time, American space launches per year more than quadrupled, while U.S. payloads launched increased by nearly 13 times, she said.
In 2023, China launched 240 payloads to orbit while the U.S. lofted over 2,500 payloads, she said.
“As DOD invests more in space, the whole of America’s lead will only grow,” she said.
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Christopher W. Grady, who also spoke at the ceremony, said that the dedicated 18,000 members of Space Command exemplify U.S. commitment to space excellence and leadership as they pioneer new frontiers, strengthen international partnerships and safeguard the nation’s interest in the limitless expanse of space.
“Recent conflicts have starkly illustrated the indispensable role of space in our nation’s defense capabilities. And, in my view, space has emerged as our most essential warfighting domain—integral to our national security, our coalition interoperability and our global stability,” he said.
Hicks and Grady lauded Dickinson’s leadership and achievements at U.S. Space Command and noted that Whiting is more than qualified to build on his predecessor’s accomplishments.
Hicks and Grady also mentioned the support the generals received from their wives, who also supported other military families.
Dickinson mentioned the tremendous support his command received from allies, partners, industry and academia. Whiting said he’d continue building on those relationships. (Source: U.S. DoD)
09 Jan 24. Spanish Air Force Stands Up Space Command. The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, visited this morning the Space Command (MESPA), the new structure belonging to the Air and Space Army that responds to the challenges presented by the ultraterrestrial field in relation to security and defense.
“Society has to be aware of what space entails,” said the Minister of Defense about a key area as a service provider on which 10% of the GDP of developed economies already depends.
Upon arrival at the facilities, located at the Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base, Margarita Robles was welcomed by General Javier Salto Martínez-Avial, Chief of the General Staff of the Air and Space Force, and Brig. Gen. Isaac Manuel Crespo Zaragoza, chief of the Space Command General Staff.
During the presentation by General Crespo, who explained the structure and functionalities of the new command that is in its implementation phase, the minister was interested in the regulation of the space after the arrival of private actors, who are carrying out ” a commercial exploitation that has revolutionized everything,” in the words of the head of MESPA.
General Crespo has highlighted the team’s enthusiasm to move this unit forward and the intense work of recent months to be able to enter the limited initial operational phase next February. The MESPA is made up of twelve military personnel from the Air and Space Force (one general officer, six officers, three non-commissioned officers and two members of troop personnel) and two civilians from Defense Systems Engineering (ISDEFE) in technical advisory work. It is planned that at the end of the year, the MESPA will enter its initial operational phase.
For their specific training, they maintain permanent contact with counterpart units in France, Germany and the United States, as well as with the NATO and EU space agencies, with which collaboration is essential, both now and in the future.
New organization chart
The creation of the MESPA has required a modification of the organic structure of the Air Force to include the new component commands and operational commands. Thus, the Aerospace Component Command disappears and gives rise to the Air Component Command and the Space Component Command; and the same with the Aerospace Operational Command, which is divided into Air Operational Command and Aerospace Operational Command.
The MESPA integrates the Aerospace Observation Systems Center (CESAEROB) and the Space Surveillance Operations Center (COVE), which will be responsible for providing a complete vision of the situation in space to detect and catalog threats that will ultimately allow, protect national interests and safely exploit space as a field of operation.
The Minister of Defense concluded her visit by signing the MESPA Book of Honor, in which, in addition to expressing the “honor of witnessing the beginnings of a challenge and an exciting adventure,” she recorded the design to which It is called: “Once again, as the Air and Space Army always does and, in this case, under the leadership of the Space Command, a page will be written that will make Spain great in the field of space.”
(Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Spanish Ministry of Defense; issued Jan 08, 2024)
09 Jan 24. US Army lays out its vision for space in future operations. In the next big war, the Army will continue to fight on the ground, but they’ll also be relying on space-based technology such as satellite surveillance, high-altitude balloons and long-range reconnaissance aircraft to protect their soldiers and disrupt the enemy’s attacks.
Top Army leaders released their vision of that effort on Monday. They want commanders to plan for how they’ll use such assets in future operations and called for greater investment in space capabilities and formations, describing them as an “urgent need” for the service.
The document, titled “Army Space Vision Supporting Multidomain Operations,” was signed by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy George and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael R. Weimer and lays out how the service aims to focus on space assets for operational needs such as navigation, timing and long-range communications.
“Commanders at all echelons have access to, rely on, and can be observed by the space-based assets of allies and competitors alike,” reads the vision statement.
In an accompanying press release, George noted that integrating joint and Army space capabilities into operations must become “second nature to commanders at every echelon.”
That’s going to include “expeditionary, scalable and mobile Army space formations” alongside ground combat formations. That could mean units such as the Space Support Teams drawn from the 1st Space Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado, forward deployed with traditional ground units.
The 1st Space Brigade currently supports Army operations worldwide, with a quarter of the unit deployed at any time across 17 locations in 11 countries, including Northern Command, European Command, Central Command and Indo-Pacific Command, according to the unit’s website.
To accomplish that, George noted in the release that the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence will work with the other Army centers of excellence and combat training centers to incorporate space-focused training, planning and assets.
That will involve putting space into common training scenarios. For ground units that may look like a trainer taking out satellite communications, or adversaries targeting their unit using space-based equipment.
“Commanders must understand that space capabilities start and end on the ground and be fully aware of their importance in planning and operations,” according to the vision statement.
In essence, commanders must know how they can use data from the Army or joint satellites, high-altitude balloons and fixed-wing reconnaissance aircraft such as the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System, or HADES, which can be used to detect enemy threats or conceal and protect ground forces from home stations to assembly areas to objectives.
Under the vision statement, Army leaders want their commanders to understand and use both the service and joint space capabilities, such as commercial satellites, to accomplish the mission while also finding ways to defend against any space-based attack from an adversary.
Army space professionals will “lead the effort to increase understanding and integration of friendly joint and coalition space capabilities” into Army operations while also interdicting the adversary’s use of space-based and enabled capabilities, according to the statement.
That means soldiers need to be organized and have the right resources, gear and expertise to use the advantages space can provide their unit while simultaneously using what they have to counter how their enemy is using space against them.
Specifically, the vision document calls on Army commanders to use joint, coalition and commercial space capabilities for needs such as positioning, navigation, and timing; beyond line-of-sight communications; force tracking; environmental monitoring; space domain awareness; geospatial information and deep sensing.
In recent years, the “deep sensing” portion of the Army’s new technology focus has included at least three new types of equipment.
The Army has invested in Terrestrial Layer Systems, or TLS, which give soldiers both cyber and electronic warfare tools, the HADES intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance jet outfitted with advanced sensors and the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node, or TITAN, which pulls together all of the data a unit’s sensors collects and distributes it across the formation, keeping everyone on the same page, data-wise.
All of these aim to give even a tactical unit such as a brigade its own ways to “see” deeper into the battlefield beyond a few kilometers, on its own, in case higher level commands such as divisions are too busy or if that brigade is cut off from its higher support. That’s a scenario Army planners project will become more common should U.S. forces face a peer adversary with its own advanced capabilities such as electronic warfare and communication jamming.
And that deep sensing is more than just seeing what’s going on beyond the horizon, it’s also crucial for striking the enemy.
“If we’re going to do long-range precision fires, you need to do long-range-precision targeting,” former Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville told C4ISRNET in 2023. “In order to do that, you have to have deep sensing.”
At the same time, commanders must also counter the growing space-based assets of adversaries such as the Russian and Chinese military. They’ll need to incorporate counter-satellite communications, counter-surveillance and reconnaissance using fires at every unit level.
In terms of gear, the Army will need to use the next generation of tactical terminals to access multi-orbit satellite communications services and space-enabled tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms for deep sensing needs, according to the vision statement. That includes the previously mentioned TLS, TITAN, HADES and satellite communications as well as data processing equipment to pull information in from multiple sensors and process it for a clearer picture of the battlefield.
When a commander, especially at the brigade level or below, can fuse data from their unit and their allies’ sensors they can then have accurate targeting information which allows them or another to strike using precision fires, or maneuver to a better position to protect their own troops. And if they can do it at their level, they’re not relying on overtasked or distant commands for the support they need immediately.
The Army conducted a demonstration in 2020 showing it could take imagery from commercial satellites in orbit to Earth, process the data with artificial intelligence, detect threats and deliver targeting data to weapons systems in 20 seconds, Army Times’ sister publication C4ISRNET reported.
But the Army also has a program using its own cube satellites, three of which were in orbit as of mid-2021 under the Gunsmoke-J program, C4ISRNET reported.
Merging these space capabilities with other assets such as stratospheric, high-altitude balloons and long-endurance, semi-autonomous fixed-wing aircraft can provide “redundant and complementary capabilities” for the U.S. and its allies in contested environments with limited bandwidth.
By using both mobile ground and aerial platforms, units can also conduct space interdiction fires, such as jamming satellites or interfering with an adversary’s use of a space capability, which would disrupt their command and control, navigation, targeting and intelligence collection.
Forward-deployed multidomain task forces, using Army space interdiction forces alongside cyber operations and electronic warfare personnel will find ways to disable, disrupt or degrade the links that connect missile and radar systems, which currently keep U.S. forces at bay. Once those systems are offline, Army and joint units can strike.
However, the forward-deployed part is critical. Having forward-stationed Army space organizations means that those units will conduct “continuous operational preparation” to help set conditions to defeat enemy layered defenses, such as the Chinese military’s network of naval bases, air bases, ground radar and missile systems that detect and engage targets hundreds of miles from their shores, which will “open contested theaters in crisis and conflict.”
The vision statement does not include exact timelines, though the Army’s acquisition of systems such as the TLS, TITAN, HADES and the Gunsmoke-J and related satellite programs are new, some of which began in 2018. The service created and deployed the key units that will likely coordinate space-based assets, the three multidomain task forces, an effort that also began 2018. A fourth task force is expected to form in the coming years. (Source: Army Times)
08 Jan 24. Rocket Lab to build military satellites for Space Development Agency. The Space Development Agency awarded Rocket Lab $515m to build 18 data transport satellites.
The company joins Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, who received awards in August to develop 36 satellites each. The spacecraft are part of the third generation — dubbed Tranche 2 — of SDA’s Proliferated Warfigher Space Architecture, a fleet of hundreds of small satellites operating in low Earth orbit, about 1,200 miles above the planet’s surface.
California-based Rocket Lab has been expanding its space systems business in recent years, and the SDA award marks its first prime satellite development contract. The company in November announced plans to expand its production footprint with a new Space Structures Complex in Maryland.
“This contract marks the beginning of Rocket Lab’s new era as a leading satellite prime,” CEO Peter Beck said in a statement. “We’ve methodically executed on our strategy of developing and acquiring experienced teams, advanced technology, manufacturing facilities, and a robust spacecraft supply chain to make this possible.”
CEO Adam Spice told investors Jan. 8 that Rocket Lab sees opportunities for future satellite contracts within the national security space sector, though he declined to discuss specifics.
“I think this is a huge validation of the fact that these opportunities are real for Rocket Lab,” he said.
Rocket Lab will build the satellites — designed to provide encrypted connectivity and communication for military users operating around the globe — at its Long Beach, California, manufacturing complex. The company will produce the subsystems for the 18 spacecraft in-house, including start trackers, solar panels, flight software and other components.
“This high degree of vertical integration gives Rocket Lab a rare level of control over supply chain, enabling efficiencies and certainty on cost, schedule and quality,” the company said.
Established in 2019, SDA’s strategy is defined by two key acquisition concepts: spiral development and proliferation. The PWSA will augment constellations of large spacecraft with hundreds of small, relatively low-cost satellites. While it takes the military on average five to 10 years to conceive and then launch a satellite, SDA wants to shorten that to about two years and field technology at a regular pace, or “spiral.”
The agency expects to launch the 72 transport satellites built by Lockheed and Northrop in 2026 and the remaining Rocket Lab spacecraft in 2027. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
08 Jan 24. RoK to Launch Two More Military Spy Satellites This Year. South Korea plans to launch two more military spy satellites this year to better monitor North Korea, the state arms procurement agency said Monday, a move that could heat up the inter-Korean space race.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said two synthetic aperture radar satellites are scheduled to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in April and November, respectively.
Beginning with an electro-optical and infrared satellite in December, South Korea plans to place four more SAR satellites into orbit by 2025 to enhance space-based intelligence capabilities amid North Korea’s growing missile and nuclear threats.
EO/IR satellites capture detailed images of the Earth’s surface but cannot penetrate dense clouds, while SAR satellites can collect data regardless of weather, using remote sensing systems.
When operated together, the reconnaissance satellites are expected to enable the prompt detection of early warning signs of a potential North Korean nuclear or missile attack, DAPA said.
South Korea’s announcement came days after Pyongyang vowed to launch three more spy satellites this year.
In November, the North put its first spy satellite into orbit following two failed attempts and has claimed it has photographed major South Korea and US military sites. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Korea Herald)
08 Jan 24. Two of Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) extended length, 63-inch-diameter Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM 63XL) solid rocket boosters helped power the inaugural flight of United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Rocket and the first certification (Cert-1) mission.
- The GEM 63XL boosters are the longest monolithic, single-cast solid rocket boosters ever manufactured and flown.
- The launch represents the first flight of the GEM 63XL solid rocket boosters.
- The boosters delivered more than 900,000 pounds of thrust, nearly two-thirds of the vehicle’s total thrust at lift-off.
Expert:
Wendy Williams, vice president and general manager, launch and missile defense systems, Northrop Grumman: “The propulsion capability of our unmatched boosters deliver impressive power and high reliability to our customers. The GEM 63XL boosters represent the next step in our decades of flight-proven heritage of best-in-class propulsion technologies.”
Details on GEM 63XL:
The Cert-1 mission carried two payloads, one that will deliver science and technology to the lunar surface, including Astrobotic’s first Peregrine Lunar Lander, Peregrine Mission One, as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program and the second was Celestis’ Memorial Spaceflights deep-space Voyager mission.
Northrop Grumman began development of the fifth-generation GEM 63XL strap-on boosters in 2015, under a cooperative agreement with ULA to provide additional lift capability for the Vulcan launch vehicle. The motor was qualified for flight in 2020 via static test firing at the company’s Promontory, Utah, test facilities. In June 2022, ULA awarded Northrop Grumman a multi-year contract worth more than $2 billon for increased production of its GEM boosters, which will support Amazon’s Project Kuiper and additional ULA customers.
Northrop Grumman has supplied rocket propulsion to ULA and its heritage companies for various launch vehicles since 1964. The GEM 63XL is an extended length variation of the GEM 63 boosters, which have supported eight Atlas V launches with 27 boosters to date.
The company’s Commerce, Calif., facility also manufactured the Vulcan launch vehicle’s hydrazine diaphragm propellant tank, which feeds the Centaur upper stage Reaction Control System to provide guidance and control during the later stages of launch. This tank is a more powerful successor to the ones previously supplied by Northrop Grumman for the Atlas V and Delta IV programs.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our employees define possible every day.
06 Jan 24. Vulcan rocket’s space debut will be crucial for Boeing-Lockheed venture as sale talks loom. A lot is riding on the first launch of the new Vulcan rocket by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing (BA.N) and Lockheed Martin (LMT.N).
A successful launch at Cape Canaveral next week would allow ULA to fulfill a deep backlog of missions worth hundreds of ms of dollars and establish a greater competitive footing with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
And it could prove vital to plans by the two U.S. aerospace firms to sell their joint venture.
“It’s a very nervous time for them,” said George Sowers, ULA’s former chief scientist, who was key to Vulcan’s creation. “It’s really the future of their company.”
The debut mission is a long-awaited milestone after months of various delays in the final stretch of Vulcan’s development, and following a testing mishap last year with a Vulcan upper-stage booster. ULA CEO Tory Bruno has said that Vulcan has performed well during recent ground tests.
“That is an incredibly complicated machine, it’s tremendously powerful. Everything has to work,” Bruno said Saturday at Vulcan’s launch pad. “It is always inherently risky to fly a rocket. But what we’re good at is managing that risk.”
The mission checklist includes carrying a moon lander that is aiming to make the first U.S. lunar soft landing in half a century. The rocket will be using for the first time engines supplied by Jeff Bezos’ space firm Blue Origin.
Vulcan’s launch also comes as Boeing and Lockheed, which formed ULA in a 2006 merger of their rocket programs, are looking to sell the jointly owned venture, according to three people familiar with the talks.
The talks have been a complex, drawn-out process for which Vulcan’s launch could have crucial implications, said the sources, who asked not to be identified.
ULA declined to comment on any potential deal talks. Bruno has previously said his company could be ripe for an acquisition.
Boeing and Lockheed declined to comment.
Vulcan’s debut launch, scheduled for 2:18 a.m. ET (0718 GMT) on Monday, is the culmination of a years-long development effort sprung largely from ULA’s need to replace its current Atlas V rocket. That rocket’s Russian-imported engines drew criticism from lawmakers that led to its planned retirement.
The retirement of Atlas – plus Vulcan’s other rocket, Delta – will leave the 200-foot-tall (60-m) Vulcan to handle dozens of lucrative missions and serve as the company’s sole challenger to SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9.
Vulcan’s debut mission will send a privately built lander from space robotics firm Astrobotic to the moon. But the launch itself will also serve as the first of two certification flights required by the U.S. Space Force before Vulcan can fly Pentagon satellites.
Space Force is a core customer for Vulcan – the military branch in 2020 picked ULA’s Vulcan and its retiring Atlas V to launch 60% of the Pentagon’s missions through around 2027.
Priced lower than its predecessors at roughly $110m per launch, Vulcan will seek to reclaim market share from Falcon 9, which is priced at roughly $62m per launch. SpaceX’s cheaper flights have eroded ULA’s dominance of government satellite launches in the past decade.
Vulcan will also compete with Blue Origin’s forthcoming New Glenn rocket, which uses the same engines as Vulcan.
ACQUISITION TALKS
Acquisition talks for ULA have been underway for more than a year, with dozens of firms, including Blue Origin, having expressed interest, the sources said.
Blue Origin did not respond to a request for comment.
Boeing’s and Lockheed’s rationale and timing for selling ULA are unclear. But there have been significant changes to the U.S. space industry since ULA’s formation in 2006, when it was created to dominate government launches and clinch some commercial demand from the then-nascent satellite market.
Growth of the commercial market was slower than expected, said Richard McKinney, an aerospace consultant and former director of the Air Force’s space acquisition unit until 2007. “But it looks like we’re about there now.”
Amazon’s (AMZN.O) planned Kuiper network is set to bring in crucial launch revenue for ULA. That has helped provide Vulcan with a multibn-dollar backlog of roughly 70 missions split somewhat evenly between government and commercial customers, Bruno has said.
Vulcan’s development and ULA’s shift away from its Atlas and Delta rockets have made estimates of the company’s valuation hard to pin down, but analysts speculate it could be $2 bn to $3 bn.
Boeing and Lockheed each have their own competing space units. Lockheed, among other pursuits, has ventured into building moon rovers and made strategic investments in ABL Space, a small-launch startup with plans to build larger rockets in the future.
Boeing’s space program has struggled, primarily with its long-delayed Starliner astronaut capsule that rivals SpaceX’s more established Crew Dragon. Troubles with Starliner development have cost Boeing some $1.5 bn since 2014.
New ownership could allow ULA to innovate beyond the launch sector in ways its corporate parents were unwilling to allow, former ULA chief scientist Sowers said.
“The charter of the company was fixed, and it was very limiting,” he said. “They’re always competing and they couldn’t agree on anything. We were not allowed to innovate.” (Source: Reuters)
05 Jan 24. Space Force close to adopting strategy for commercial acquisitions. The Space Force is “days away” from adopting a strategy for buying and integrating commercial space capabilities.
Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, the service’s deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber and nuclear forces, said Jan. 5 the strategy will address how commercial systems could be used to fill capability gaps and provide backup capability when needed. It will also consider how the Space Force can rely more on industry to provide services — such as launch or satellite communications — rather than complete systems.
“What we’re trying to . . . make sure we capture in the strategy is how do we get after buying some of these capabilities, particularly something like SATCOM, as a commodity rather than, ‘I’ve got to own and operate the entire satellite,’” Burt said during a webinar hosted by the Mitchell Institute.
The Space Force’s strategy and programs office submitted an initial commercial space strategy last fall for approval from Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman. Saltzman sent it back, requesting more detail on what services and products the Space Force wants to buy from commercial companies.
The service in recent years has increased its focus on strengthening its partnership with commercial and industry. Officials have called for the acquisition workforce to consider opportunities to buy services and systems from industry — rather than build a bespoke government satellite — wherever possible. And last year, it established a Commercial Space Office aimed at helping it better integrate these capabilities across its mission areas.
Burt said this push is rooted, in part, in a recognition that the Space Force needs to invest in strengthening the space industrial base.
“The space domain has not necessarily had a very large industrial base in the past because . . . it was primarily the government running those capabilities,” she said. “Now that you see entrepreneurs and commercial companies going into the domain and more nations are also spacefaring nations, you’re starting to see that industrial base build.”
It’s in the Space Force’s interest, she added, to draw from that industrial base wherever possible.
Defending commercial satellites
One area where the Space Force must continue to engage with industry, Burt said, is in determining how to defend commercial space assets during conflict.
Some companies may be concerned about choosing a side and may opt not to have the U.S. defend their systems, she noted, while others may want assurance that their satellites will be prioritized. At the same time, the Space Force wants assurance that those commercial systems will be available in wartime.
Those questions need to be answered in the contract negotiation process, Burt said.
The Defense Department must also consider its own process for prioritizing commercial satellites in wartime. While the military has a process in place for identifying “critical assets” requiring protection during conflict, it needs to determine where commercial satellites and services fit within those priorities.
“Those will all be considerations as we move forward,” Burt said. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
05 Jan 24. Northrop Grumman’s GEM 63XL solid rocket boosters to be longest single-segment motors ever flown. Digital engineering and advanced technologies are unlocking new opportunities and accelerating growth in the rapidly evolving space launch industry.
Using virtual reality and monolithic designs, meaning manufactured and cast as a single piece, Northrop Grumman’s 63-inch diameter, extended length Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63XL) solid rocket booster (SRB) will make its debut, supporting the inaugural flight of United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket on January 8th.
At more than 72 feet long, the GEM 63XL is the longest monolithic SRB ever produced for flight, a designation previously held by its predecessor, the 66-foot long, 63-inch diameter GEM 63.
Manufacturing and casting the GEM 63XL as a single piece makes the motors more reliable and efficient by reducing joints, hardware and overall mass. This is crucial for an SRB of this length that can deliver over 463,000 pounds of thrust to enhance the capabilities of rockets launching the nation’s most critical payloads.
Pioneering Engineering with Virtual Reality
If a picture is worth a thousand words, virtual reality is worth a thousand pictures.
To push the boundaries of possible, the team looked to identify what could be achieved using virtual reality to build the next generation of boosters. The fifth-generation GEM 63XL benefits from flight-proven designs and components, advancing the GEM legacy of increasing capabilities.
Using virtual reality, GEM design and engineering teams were immersed into 360-degree virtual environments to observe and test life-size boosters. In minutes, engineers created 3D computer-aided design (CAD) renderings, put on headsets and thoroughly examined a full-scale model to validate the design before manufacturing began.
“You think you see everything in CAD, but there are restrictions when viewing a two-dimensional design,” said Kevin Foster, chief engineer, GEM 63/63XL, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman. “We are able to identify potential issues and make design adjustments before production starts which saves us vital time and reduces costs.”
Manufacturing Excellence
Building GEM 63XLs monolithically rather than segmented provides several efficiency benefits, including:
- Reducing hardware and overall mass, to enable a greater thrust-to-weight ratio;
- Reducing motor handling and assembly operations;
- Reducing field joint interfaces and launch-site assembly support;
- Streamlining booster mating to core vehicle;
- Enabling rapid launch cadence scheduling, reducing joints and potential points of failure.
Up to six GEM 63XL SRBs can be integrated with the Vulcan rocket. Together, with the pair of BE-4 engines, powerful liquefied natural gas engines serving as the rocket’s main engine propulsion deliver over 3.3 m pounds of thrust to lift customer payloads to desired orbits.
“Larger, more capable rocket motors, including vehicles that support ride-sharing missions are a result of a customer need to place larger, more advanced payloads into space,” said Robert Gonzalez, senior program director, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman.
The GEM motors have more capabilities, including their design, and building the motors to be shipped directly to the launch pad with little assembly required.
From manufacturing and processing the booster to its overall performance, the efficiency of the monolithic approach supports customer goals and provides significant benefits including a lighter, more cost-effective and powerful booster.
Leaning Forward
Northrop Grumman continues to invest in upgraded facilities to support the production of these first-of-its-kind motors.
The unique length of the GEM 63XL required buildings, including the rocket motor propellant casting facilities, infrastructure and work cells to be renovated in 2015. The depth of existing casting pits were increased by 20 feet to fit the GEM motors and were modified to include two ports for propellant to be added to two rocket motor cases while using one pit. This process, known as dual casting, improves efficiency, brings cost-savings and increases production.
Northrop Grumman was awarded a new ULA contract in 2022 to increase production of its GEM motors, nearly quadrupling previous production rates to the end of the decade and requiring further expansion of its solid rocket motor manufacturing facilities.
The expansion includes new state-of-the art facilities, modernization of existing facilities, purchase of cutting-edge manufacturing equipment and other support equipment to streamline processes, enhance product delivery and increase capacity and output.
“While much has evolved — from the technology to the facilities to the motor itself — in the GEM program’s latest iteration, the legacy of success and customer focus has remained consistent,” said Gonzalez. “That emphasis will never change.”
04 Jan 24. Two companies will attempt first US moon landings since Apollo mission. China and India scored moon landings, while Russia, Japan and Israel ended up in the lunar trash heap.
Now two private companies are hustling to get the U.S. back in the game, more than five decades after the Apollo program ended.
It’s part of a NASA-supported effort to kick-start commercial moon deliveries, as the space agency focuses on getting astronauts back there.
“They’re scouts going to the moon ahead of us,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Pittsburgh’s Astrobotic Technology is up first with a planned liftoff of a lander Monday aboard a brand new rocket, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan. Houston’s Intuitive Machines aims to launch a lander in mid-February, hopping a flight with SpaceX.
Then there’s Japan, which will attempt to land in two weeks. The Japanese Space Agency’s lander with two toy-size rovers had a big head start, sharing a September launch with an X-ray telescope that stayed behind in orbit around Earth.
If successful, Japan will become the fifth country to pull off a lunar landing. Russia and the U.S. did it repeatedly in the 1960s and 70s. China has landed three times in the past decade — including on the moon’s far side — and is returning to the far side later this year to bring back lunar samples. And just last summer, India did it. Only the U.S. has put astronauts on the moon.
Landing without wrecking is no easy feat. There’s hardly any atmosphere to slow spacecraft, and parachutes obviously won’t work. That means a lander must descend using thrusters, while navigating past treacherous cliffs and craters.
A Japanese maire’s company, ispace, saw its lander smash into the moon last April, followed by Russia’s crash landing in August. India triumphed a few days later near the south polar region; it was the country’s second try after crashing in 2019. An Israeli nonprofit also slammed into the moon in 2019.
Apollo 17
The United States has not attempted a moon landing since Apollo 17′s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt, the last of 12 moonwalkers, explored the gray, dusty surface in December 1972. Mars beckoned and the moon receded in NASA’s rearview mirror, as the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union came to a close. The U.S. followed with a handful or two of lunar satellites, but no controlled landers — until now.
Not only are Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines looking to end America’s moon-landing drought, they’re vying for bragging rights as the first private entity to land — gently — on the moon.
Despite its later start, Intuitive Machines has a faster, more direct shot and should land within a week of liftoff. It will take Astrobotic two weeks just to get to the moon and another month in lunar orbit, before a landing is attempted on Feb. 23.
If there are rocket delays, which already have stalled both missions, either company could wind up there first.
“It’s going to be a wild, wild ride,” promised Astrobotic’s chief executive John Thornton.
His counterpart at Intuitive Machines, Steve Altemus, said the space race is “more about the geopolitics, where China is going, where the rest of the world’s going.” That said, “We sure would like to be first.”
The two companies have been nose to nose since receiving nearly $80 m each in 2019 under a NASA program to develop lunar delivery services. Fourteen companies are now under contract by NASA.
Astrobotic’s four-legged, 6-foot-tall (1.9-meter-tall) lander, named Peregrine after the fastest bird, a falcon, will carry 20 research packages to the moon for seven countries, including five for NASA and a shoebox-sized rover for Carnegie Mellon University. Peregrine will aim for the mid-latitudes’ Sinus Viscositatis, or Bay of Stickiness, named after the long-ago silica magma that formed the nearby Gruithuisen Domes.
Nova-C
Intuitive Machines’ six-legged, 14-foot-tall (4-meter-tall) lander, Nova-C, will target the moon’s south polar region, also carrying five experiments for NASA that will last about two weeks. The company is targeting 80 degrees south latitude for touchdown. That would be well within Antarctica on Earth, Altemus noted, and 10 degrees closer to the pole than India landed last summer.
Scientists believe the south pole’s permanently shadowed craters hold bns of pounds (kilograms) of frozen water that could be used for drinking and making rocket fuel. That’s why the first moonwalkers in NASA’s Artemis program — named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology — will land there. NASA still has 2025 on the books for that launch, but the General Accountability Office suspects it will be closer to 2027.
Astrobotic will head to the south pole on its second flight, carrying NASA’s water-seeking Viper rover. And Intuitive Machines will return there on its second mission, delivering an ice drill for NASA.
Landing near the moon’s south pole is particularly dicey.
“It’s so rocky and craggy and full of craters at the south pole and mountainous, that it’s very difficult to find a lighted region to touch down safely,” Altemus said. “So you’ve got to be able to finesse that and just set it down right in the right spot.”
While Houston has long been associated with space, Pittsburgh is a newcomer. To commemorate the Steel City, Astrobotic’s lander will carry a Kennywood amusement park token, the winner of a public vote that beat out the Steelers’ Terrible Towel waved at football games, dirt from Moon Township’s Moon Park, and a Heinz pickle pin.
The lander is also carrying the ashes or DNA from 70 people, including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. Another 265 people will be represented on the rocket’s upper stage, which will circle the sun once separated from the lander. They include three original “Star Trek” cast members, as well as strands of hair from three U.S. presidents: George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
04 Jan 24. Kratos and Rancher Government Solutions Announce Strategic Partnership to Enable Customers to Seamlessly Deploy and Scale Virtual Ground Systems Using Kratos’ OpenSpace Software Platform.
- First-to-Market OpenSpace Platform is a Software-Based Networking Solution that Connects Space to the Dynamic Ground, Supporting Multiple Satellites, Orbits, Payloads and Services
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a technology company in Defense, National Security and Global Markets and Rancher Government Solutions (RGS), the leading provider of enterprise Kubernetes management solutions to the U.S. Government, announced today a strategic partnership to enable customers to seamlessly deploy and scale virtual ground systems using Kratos’ software-based OpenSpace® Platform.
With increasingly complex and dynamic satcom and Earth Observation missions, satellite operators and government agencies are transitioning from fixed and proprietary hardware to flexible and scalable generic compute-based cloud environments. This enables a virtualized and software-defined ground system like Kratos’ OpenSpace Platform to more cost effectively and securely support multiple missions simultaneously, deliver services faster and streamline operations.
Today, customers leverage a range of computing environments from bare metal, virtual machines to the cloud, making the deployment of software-based ground systems more complex and time consuming. Working together, Kratos and Rancher Government Solutions have enhanced the ability of the OpenSpace Platform, the first commercially available, fully virtualized and software-defined satellite ground system to be deployed more easily across customer environments.
“With Rancher, the OpenSpace Platform deploys its virtual functions including modems, channelizers, combiners, and more, as Kubernetes-based containerized software applications that act as independent and portable computing environments that can run and scale on any infrastructure,” said Brandon Gulla, Chief Technology Officer at RGS. “We are proud to be working with Kratos to support this truly transformational platform that will free satellite operators from proprietary hardware architectures and move to software-defined, flexible and extensible virtual platforms.”
By the nature of it being software-defined and containerized, the OpenSpace Platform is already much faster, and more flexible to deploy than traditional hardware-based satellite ground systems. As customer demands grow, the software-based OpenSpace Platform can reconfigure on the fly and deploy new services automatically and cost effectively in minutes. Software containers can be spun up and down and scaled on demand elastically using a single management interface from the Rancher Platform.
“Rancher serves as the Kubernetes management technology that supports the OpenSpace Platform’s ability to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of our containerized workloads,” said Anthony Semiao, Chief Solutions Architect of the OpenSpace Platform. “The combined technologies support hybrid and multi-cloud environments enabling OpenSpace customers to run in the data center and cloud environment of their choice such as Google, Amazon or Microsoft and to easily switch from one cloud provider to another.” (Source: ASD Network)
04 Jan 24. New spacecraft engine under development by Diversified Technologies. The Atmosphere-Refueling Magnetic Induction Plasma Engine (AR-MIPE) provides high thrust at specific impulse without the need for electrodes, vastly extending thruster life and permitting the use of low cost, in-situ propellants. The 100 kW, electrodeless, inductive thruster which ionizes propellant and accelerates electrons and ions to great velocities is a significant paradigm shift in propulsion technology for space travel as it eliminates the need to carry heavy fuel payloads from Earth. Very efficiently converting energy into thrust that can move a spacecraft in tiny increments for extended periods of time, the basic geometry of the AR-MIPE is a tubular linear induction motor with phased coil-excitation. By employing an electrodeless inductive thruster which minimizes plasma-wall interactions and by capturing and storing propellants available throughout the solar system as fuel, the AR-MIPE will be able to support long-term interplanetary exploration missions. (Source: Satnews)
01 Jan 24. Mbryonics selected as the optical terminal provider for DARPA’s Space-BACN Program. The DARPA Space-BACN program aims to deliver seamless communication between government and commercial LEO satellite constellations, such as Telesat Lightspeed, Starlink and Kuiper, using Mbryonics’ StarCom optical terminal.
The goal of Space-BACN is to create a reconfigurable, multi-protocol intersatellite optical communications terminal that is low in size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C), easy to integrate, and able to connect heterogeneous constellations that operate on different optical intersatellite link (OISL) specifications that otherwise would not be able to communicate.
Mbryonics, who participated in earlier development phases of the program, successfully delivered Phase 1 within 14 months, and were awarded this new Phase 2 contract for Technical Area 1 (TA) to design and deliver the Optical Terminal. Mybryonics will coordinate with TA2 (Modem) and TA3 (Satellite constellation operators) contractors over a 21-month period of performance to accelerate the development of Inter-Satellite Communications capable of connecting disparate LEO constellations using different communications protocols to cross-talk; ultimately aiming to create a high-speed internet in space.
John Mackey, CEO of Mbryonics, said, “Mbryonics’ goal is to power a trusted communications infrastructure delivering the internet in space and connecting us like never before. Digital Empowerment will pave the way for society to meet the greatest challenges of today and fulfil our ambitions for tomorrow. We take immense pride in DARPA’s selection of the Mbryonics team and our StarCom optical terminal. This collaboration supports the Space-BACN vision for seamless interconnectivity between government and commercial systems, fortifying a resilient space layer for JADC2 operations. We are delighted to be continuing this close collaboration with DARPA and our Space-BACN partners. This contract award solidifies Mbryonics’ leadership in industrial-edge optical communications, affirming our strategy of pioneering fiber-coupled photonic systems and leveraging proprietary advanced manufacturing processes and materials to deliver disruptive SWaP-C solutions, unparalleled data rates, and sustainable volume production.” (Source: Satnews)
01 Jan 24. Japan’s 2nd H3 rocket to set to launch in February. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has decided to launch the nation’s new, mainstay, H3 rocket for the second time from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on February 15th.
The first H3 launch vehicle was deliberately destroyed in-flight after its second-stage engine failed to ignite due to excessive current generated in the electrical system of the engine. An expert panel from the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry compiled a report last October, which included countermeasures, such as the replacement of parts.
In November, JAXA announced the agency’s plan to launch a second H3 vehicle after implementing the countermeasures.
The launch date of February 15th was determined by H3 developers, including JAXA, after a close examination of preparations on site, according to government officials. (Source: Satnews)
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At Viasat, we’re driven to connect every warfighter, platform, and node on the battlefield. As a global communications company, we power ms of fast, resilient connections for military forces around the world – connections that have the capacity to revolutionize the mission – in the air, on the ground, and at sea. Our customers depend on us for connectivity that brings greater operational capabilities, whether we’re securing the U.S. Government’s networks, delivering satellite and wireless communications to the remote edges of the battlefield, or providing senior leaders with the ability to perform mission-critical communications while in flight. We’re a team of fearless innovators, driven to redefine what’s possible. And we’re not done – we’re just beginning.
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