From Parker’s Commercial list.
Sandra Erwin, SpaceNews — The U.S. Space Force announced April 8 it awarded Rocket Lab a $14.4 million contract to launch a Space Test Program experiment that will fly in very low Earth orbit. The mission, named STP-S30, is projected to launch in 2026 on a Rocket Lab Electron small launcher from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Devin Coldewey, TechCrunch — Space Workforce 2030, a joint effort by the Space Foundation and Aerospace Corporation, is organizing the first National Space Day on May 3. This includes curriculum for students of all ages and backgrounds to learn more about space science and technology.
Rachel Jewett, Via Satellite — The FCC dismissed SpaceX’s request to use certain mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum authorized to Globalstar and Dish in the Gen2 Starlink constellation. They determined it would take new rule-making to determine if there is availability for another code division multiple access (CDMA) MSS system in LEO.
Los Angeles Times — The Aerospace Corporation moved its headquarters to Virginia from El Segundo, and reaffirmed its commitment to its South Bay campus by announcing a $100-million investment there. Aerospace joins a growing number of defense contractors that have made the move to the nation’s center of politics and government.
SpaceX has long intended to upgrade this second pad — SLC-40 at neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — to expand its crew launch capacity.
Melanie Stricklan, co-founder and former CEO of Slingshot Aerospace, was appointed executive director of Space Workforce 2030.
This is the first Starship to complete its full-duration ascent burn, and the first Starship to experience reentry from space.
John Couluris, senior vice president of lunar permanence at Blue Origin, said the company was planning to launch the first “Mark 1” version of its Blue Moon lander in as soon as a year. The company is planning at least two flights of the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander as it works on the Mark 2 lander intended to carry people.
China is planning 100 orbital launches in 2024 — a national record. This includes around 70 launches from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), which will send 290 spacecraft into orbit.
Space venture investors and analysts speaking at the Feb. 23 Chamber of Commerce event said the industry perceives some demand signals from the DoD, but that they would like for these signals to transition into actionable commitments.
