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[Sierra Space Wants To Drop Cargo From Orbit To Anywhere On Earth In 90 Minutes]  Sierra Space unveiled a radical new concept for on-demand cargo delivery from Earth orbit. The company aims to land critical supplies anywhere on the planet within 90 minutes of when it was requested. Sierra Space says the concept could enable soldiers on the battlefield or in remote areas to acquire much-needed supplies on quicker timescales, as they'd be far from traditional infrastructure used to transport goods on the ground. The Ghost orbital delivery platform could also aid first responders in disaster-stricken areas and bolster humanitarian efforts. While several commercial launch providers, such as SpaceX and Rocket Lab, in addition to the U.S. military have been discussing using rockets to send cargo rapidly around the Earth, Sierra Space's Ghost concept could allow payloads to land in areas without dedicated launch or landing facilities. It would be particularly useful for smaller payloads, therefore opening up radical new possibilities for civilian supply chains on top of military demands. The Ghost platform could then wait up to five years in orbit before any pre-loaded supplies are called down to Earth. Once materials must be delivered, first, a de-orbit motor would slow the satellite down enough for Earth's gravity to begin pulling it towards the planet's surface. The system's thermal shield would meanwhile protect the payload from the upcoming intense heat of reentry. During a testing campaign in February 2024, seven different test articles were dropped from a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter — some with the system's attached parachute, others with only the system's soft-shell decelerator, and still others involving "terminal" drops of the cargo payload alone — from altitudes between 2,000 feet (610 meters) and 4,000 feet (1,220 meters). However, such a system would likely not be able to land anywhere it wants, as large rockets currently need dedicated landing infrastructure. A much smaller, more tactical concept like the Sierra Space Ghost system could enable pinpoint deliveries to austere, remote or contested areas without the need for landing pads. Source: https://lnkd.in/e8tytc2a #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #spacenews

[United Launch Alliance Launch Its Final Delta Heavy IV rocket] The era of Delta Heavy IV is coming to an end. For the last 64 years, United Launch Alliance's (ULA's) heavy-lift rocket has led an impressive career lofting large payloads into space. However, the rocket is scheduled to lift off one last time when it launches from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch was originally planned for Thursday afternoon (March 28), but ULA called that try off due to a technical issue a few minutes before liftoff. The company is now targeting today (April 9) at 12:53 p.m. EDT (1653 GMT) for the landmark launch. Aboard the Delta Heavy IV rocket for the mission, known as NROL-70, will be a classified payload being launched on behalf of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The NRO rarely discloses the nature or capabilities of its spy satellites, and this particular mission offers no exception. Yet, while the payload is a secret, the launch is not. You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of ULA. The specific nature of the spacecraft launching atop ULA's Delta Heavy IV rocket on NROL-70 of course remains a mystery, but we can assume it's a sophisticated spy satellite given the customer. The NRO is an agency within the Department of Defense tasked with developing, building and operating the United States' surveillance satellites. A mission description published by ULA states the payload aboard the launch will "strengthen the NRO's ability to provide a wide-range of timely intelligence information to national decision makers, warfighters, and intelligence analysts to protect the nation’s vital interests and support humanitarian efforts worldwide." In addition to the Delta IV Heavy, ULA plans on retiring another one of its rockets: The workhorse Atlas V. The idea is to make way for the company's new Vulcan Centaur, which launched on its first mission on Jan. 8, 2024 when it sent Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander moonward. The Atlas V will keep flying through 2029, however, as it is already booked for missions to help develop Amazon's Project Kuiper internet constellation and send Boeing's Starliner crew capsule to the International Space Station on its first launch, slated for no earlier than May 6. Source: https://lnkd.in/eMcE68qC #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #spacenews

China is building on-orbit space situational awareness capabilities to navigate crowded orbits: HELSINKI — China is developing a dependence on space-based space situational awareness as its space activities expand, according to a new report. China’s on-orbit presence has grown dramatically in recent […] The post China is building on-orbit space situational awareness capabilities to navigate crowded orbits appeared first on SpaceNews. #neuco

Northrop Grumman to build second long-range radar system to track satellites in geosynchronous orbits U.S. Space Force surveillance experts are asking Northrop Grumman Corp. to design and build a second long-range radar system to detect, identify, and track satellites and other spacecraft in high-altitude geosynchronous orbits around Earth. Officials of the Space Force Space Systems Center Directorate of Contracting at Peterson Space Force Base, Colo., announced a $200.3 million contract to Northrop Grumman in August for the second Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) site in Wales in the Western United Kingdom. This contract is for DARC Site 2. Northrop Grumman won a contract to build the first DARC site in 2021 in Western Australia. It is to be completed next year and begin operations in 2026. DARC is to be one of the world’s most advanced radars for tracking objects in deep space. It is to monitor objects in geosynchronous orbit 22,000 miles above the equator continuously in all weather conditions. DARC will locate and track satellites in and on the way to geosynchronous orbit, and will replace or augment existing tools that lack the sensitivity and capacity to track them precisely. These systems can be hindered by sunlight and weather. DARC, meanwhile, will provide an all-weather continuous monitoring of geosynchronous orbits. If a collision threatens a satellite, DARC alerts the operator in enough time to maneuver the satellite away from the oncoming debris. DARC also will identify enemy attempts to disrupt or deny civil and military space services. A DARC demonstrator, which uses a sparse array of dish antennas to track objects in space, was tested at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., in late 2021. The test involved a sub-scale version of the DARC system to demonstrate its ability to broadcast a signal at specific test objects in space. The future operational DARC system will consist of three high-powered transmit/receive sites, spaced at mid-latitudes around the world. The future DARC network will be operated by the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. On this contract Northrop Grumman will do the work in Colorado Springs, Colo., and should be finished by February 2030

Frederic Eger/SpaceNews: The Combined Space Operations (CSpO) initiative, a multinational partnership formed in 2014, celebrates its 10-year anniversary, with 10 member nations including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The U.S. Department of Defense is committed to ensuring the lawful and sustainable use of space and preventing conflict. The Commerce Department has begun providing space situational awareness data to selected satellite operators, marking a significant shift as a civilian agency takes the reins on space traffic management from the military for the first time. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the initial phase of its Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) is now operational, delivering basic space situational awareness data and traffic coordination services to a beta group of nine satellite operators, including both government and commercial entities. Anduril Industries, a defense tech firm known for its AI-powered weapons systems, is making moves to establish itself as a player in the military space market. The company announced a partnership with satellite manufacturing startup Apex as part of its strategy. Anduril's collaboration with Apex is centered on leveraging the latter's rapidly producible satellite buses for hosting AI-powered payloads capable of edge data processing in orbit. In related news, Anduril secured a $25.3 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to upgrade the data integration and communication systems of the Space Surveillance Network (SSN). The SSN, a Cold War-era global network of sensors, is crucial for tracking satellites, space debris, and providing early warnings of ballistic missile launches. Anduril's SDANet, a modern mesh network, augments the SSN's aging Space Defense Interface Network, leveraging commercial space internet services like SpaceX's Starlink for high-speed connections between space domain awareness assets. BlackSky plans to make its future Gen-3 satellites compatible with military networks, aiming to expand its footprint in the defense sector. The goal is to use laser terminals to facilitate satellite-to-satellite data transmission in space and expedite data delivery to ground-based military users. Lunar Outpost, one of three companies that won NASA contracts earlier this year to begin design work on Artemis lunar rovers, has added Leidos to its team after parting ways with Lockheed Martin. New illustrations of the rover released by Lunar Outpost reveal significant changes when compared to the illustration that Lunar Outpost released in April when it won the NASA contract.

Space debris: ticking time bomb. Researchers from the orbital mapping firm LeoLabs are raising alarm bells about the dangerous amount of space junk littering our planet's orbit that will inevitably create a catastrophe. In an interview with Forbes, LeoLabs senior technical fellow Darren McKnight described the issue as a "ticking time bomb" waiting in the wings. The author of a remarkable series of studies on space debris and its potential to trigger catastrophic collisions, McKnight heads the data analytics team at the Silicon Valley-based LeoLabs, which operates a global web of phased array radars that scan low Earth orbit (LEO) while charting more than 20,000 objects in flight - from abandoned rockets to the clouds of Anti-Satellite weapon (ASAT) shrapnel that circumnavigate the globe. The outfit’s founder and Chief Operating Officer, Dan Ceperley, issued an ominous oracle on LeoLab’s website, warning of the “inevitability of a disaster in low Earth orbit” due to clouds of missile shards and clusters of derelict rockets that are spinning around the globe. With our planet veritably surrounded by almost 30,000 objects bigger than a softball hurtling through space at extremely fast speeds, McKnight and his colleagues are looking for solutions to head off tragedy — but they might not be able to make it in time. "This grim reality," Ceperly told Forbes, "means that collisions are not a question of if but when." “Potential disasters in LEO,” Dr. Ceperley predicts, range from an astronaut being blasted by “lethal, small debris” to an “operational payload attacked by an adversary.” His “Guide To Disasters In Low Earth Orbit” cautions that minuscule shards in orbit - measuring less than one centimeter - could be deadly to aeronauts spacewalking outside the International Space Station or floating outside their space capsules. “Potential disasters in LEO,” Dr. Ceperley predicts, range from an astronaut being blasted by “lethal, small debris” to an “operational payload attacked by an adversary.” Space Intel creates sensors and AI for airborne safety, environmental protection, and high-resolution Earth and space imaging. Stay safe and informed! #WeSawItComing #Satellites #SatelliteCollisions #SpaceDebris #Space #SpaceIntel #SpaceSustainability

With thousands of space debris objects now on orbit, there is a growing need to tackle the space debris problem. In my latest paper we try to do just that by introducing a method of determining the inertial parameters of a space debris object that is tethered to a chaser CubeSat in LEO. The paper aims to make advancements in Active Debris Removal missions by introducing formulations that help to enable online inertia estimation of space debris objects. For those interested in active debris removal or spaceflight, the paper will be worth a read. https://lnkd.in/eSUwVr-R

Note: China's Yuanwang Class of Space Tracking and Surveillance These are a critical component of China's space surveillance and monitoring capabilities, operated by the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Strategic Support Force. These vessels are designed to provide China with global space tracking, monitoring, and communication capabilities, extending China's malignant reach in space operations well beyond its borders. The Yuanwang fleet plays a pivotal role in supporting China's ambitious space program, including satellite launches, manned missions, and deep-space explorations. Mobile Space Tracking and Surveillance Unlike stationary ground-based facilities, the Yuanwang class ships are mobile platforms that can operate in international waters, giving China the flexibility to position its space monitoring capabilities wherever they are needed. This mobility allows the fleet to cover areas that are beyond the range of land-based tracking stations, ensuring continuous and real-time monitoring of Chinese space assets. The ability to move these ships to strategic locations during critical phases of space missions, such as satellite launches and orbital maneuvers, provides China with an unparalleled advantage in maintaining comprehensive coverage of its space operations. The Yuanwang class ships are equipped with sophisticated radar, telemetry, and optical tracking systems. These technologies enable the vessels to accurately track satellites, space debris, and other objects in orbit. The ships are integral to the success of China's space missions, providing crucial data during launch phases, ensuring that spacecraft are inserted into the correct orbits, and monitoring their trajectories throughout their missions. The advanced capabilities of the Yuanwang class make them indispensable tools for space situational awareness (SSA), allowing China to maintain a detailed understanding of the space environment. Their mobility gives them the flexibility to be anywhere in the international waters and beyond strike range. While the Yuanwang class supports all of China's space missions, its significance is deeply rooted in its military applications. Operated by the PLA, these ships are key assets in China's military space operations. They enhance the PLA's ability to monitor foreign satellites, track potential threats in space, and secure China's space assets. The data collected by the Yuanwang ships is essential for maintaining space situational awareness, which is critical for both defensive and strategic military operations in space. The fleet's capabilities contribute to China's broader military strategy, particularly in space and supporting the PLA's Strategic network. The global operational range of the Yuanwang class ships provides China with a significant strategic advantage. By operating in international waters, these ships can monitor space activities in strategically important regions across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

Space export reforms affecting space systems and technologies are moving into the next phase of discussion and implementation, with a change in administration not impacting the process, said Chirag Parikh, executive secretary of the National Space Council. - b y Frederic Eger/SpaceNews - These rules aim to modernize export regulations, reduce controls on less sensitive space-related items, boost the competitiveness of the U.S. space industrial base, and international space partnerships. One of the priorities of the Biden administration has been to enable a competitive and burgeoning U.S. commercial space sector, and provide clarity on regulatory matters as well as export control matters. Geostationary operator Viasat is in advanced talks to buy broadband capacity from Telesat’s future low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites as competition from Starlink intensifies in the incoming Trump Administration. Vast announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Czech Ministry of Transport to explore potential partnerships on future flights by the company as well as support for the Czech space industry. The agreement could enable a flight to the ISS by Aleš Svoboda, one of 12 reserve astronauts selected by the European Space Agency in November 2022. Anuvu looks to HEO to upgrade inflight Wi-Fi, which would turbocharge broadband speeds for airlines using polar routes to shorten flight times. Virgin Galactic seeks to raise $300M to accelerate growth of spaceplane fleet. Rocket Lab confirms plan to bid for Pentagon launch contracts with new medium rocket Neutron, aiming to chip away at SpaceX’s dominance in military space launch. SpaceX plans the sixth integrated Starship/Super Heavy flight for mid-November, coincided with the release of airspace restrictions for the flight attempt by the Federal Aviation Administration. Japan and Poland are set to gain access to the U.S. military’s Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite network, marking a strategic expansion of the system that currently supports the United States and several other partner nations. U.S. Space Command expands its commercial intelligence-sharing initiative, adding five new companies to The Commercial Integration Cell (CIC), which helps coordinate responses to space threats and satellite anomalies. Earth observation company Blacksky, space intelligence contractor Kratos, space tracking firm LeoLabs, radar satellite operator Iceye, and satellite communications provider Telesat are among the new companies added to the CIC. Australia abandons its $5 billion geostationary satellite program to explore ‘multi-orbit’ options. The Australian Department of Defence

United Launch Alliance is preparing for a seminole moment for its Atlas 5 rocket. The launch vehicle is preparing to launch its 58th and final national security mission on Tuesday. The United States Space Force-51 (USSF-51) mission will also be the 100th national security mission launch for ULA. Following the completion of a launch readiness review on Friday, ULA rolled the rocket to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. First motion came shortly after noon on Saturday with the journey wrapping up after 12:30 p.m. EDT. Liftoff is targeting Tuesday, July 30, during a three-hour window that opens at 6:45 a.m. EDT (1045 UTC). “This is a bittersweet moment for us. I’ve had the privilege of sitting console for the very first national security Atlas launch in 2007, STP-1 (Space Test Program 1) in March of that year and here we are with our last national security Atlas,” said Col. Jim Horne, Senior Materiel Leader of the Launch Execution Delta. “I do want to say thank you to the entire team, the government and ULA. It’s been a strong partnership over these last almost 20 years on this program and this has been our workhorse vehicle.” Because of the nature of the launch, Horne declined to go into detail about the mission or if the flight was carrying a single payload or more than one. “I can’t say much about that this is a very important mission for national security in this time of great power competition, but that’s really all we can say at this time,” Horne said. The Atlas 5 launching the USSF-51 payload will fly in a 551 configuration, meaning it will be supported by five solid rocket boosters and a 17-foot (5 meter) diameter short payload fairing. The full stack stands about 196 feet (59.7 meters) tall. Gary Wentz, ULA’s vice president of Government and Commercial Programs, said following this mission, out of the remaining 15 Atlas 5 rockets remaining, nine will fly in the 551 configuration in support of Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation. “Every time you fly you learn a lot. And we’re flying five GEM 63’s on this mission,” Wentz said. “So, we’ll learn from that, continue to get data and going forward, we’ll apply that to the subsequent Atlas missions.” #NSSL #Atlas5 #SpaceForce United Launch Alliance rolled its Atlas 5 551 rocket to the launchpad at Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) on Saturday, July 27, 2024, ahead of the USSF-51 launch on Tuesday, July 30. (Spaceflight Now)