Garrett Reim, Aviation Week – According to Lori Gordon, systems director of Aerospace’s Space Enterprise Evolution Directorate, the U.S. government pressures companies to maintain greater cybersecurity control over their supply chains, which can lead to a vertical integration strategy.
Brian P. D. Hannon, AP – Four volunteer crew members of a NASA mission to Mars emerged from their craft, after spending over a year inside NASA’s first simulated Mars environment at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Mike Gruss, Aerospace America – “A nuclear detonation in space would present a catastrophic impact to space activity,” says Eric Buhr, senior project leader in the Aerospace’s electrical systems assurance department.
Sandra Erwin, SpaceNews – A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on June 28 launched the NROL-186 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. Just over eight minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster landed on a drone ship, marking SpaceX’s 326th booster landing to date.
Stephen Clark, Ars Technica – According to engineers at Aerospace’s Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (CORDS), more research is urgently needed to understand how composites survive the extreme conditions of reentry, especially with more objects being launched into space than ever before.
Sandra Erwin, SpaceNews – Luch 2’s latest move, flagged by Slingshot’s automated tracking system, was a “large maneuver” on June 23 that indicates the satellite is moving toward an Intelsat communications satellite.
Theresa Hitchens, Breaking Defense – The “Report on Process and Plan for Space Force Space Situational Awareness,” signed by Air Force space acquisition czar Frank Calvelli, was required by the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Stephanie Nano, AP – NASA said it wanted more time to analyze problems in the spacecraft’s propulsion system, which is used to maneuver in flight. During re-entry, the system is ditched and burns up in the atmosphere.
Courtney Albon, DefenseNews – The Defense Department’s advanced missile tracking satellites logged their first views of a hypersonic flight test this week, according to the Missile Defense Agency. Hypersonic vehicles can travel at speeds of Mach 5 or higher.
Frank Wolfe, Via Satellite – Under an umbrella worth up to $5.6 billion over the next five years for at least 30 launches, U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command made its first National Security Space Launch (NSSL), Phase 3, Lane 1 awards to Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance (ULA).
