WASHINGTON — Companies developing commercial space stations want NASA to offer more opportunities to fly precursor missions to the International Space Station to help them gain experience and stimulate customer interest.
NASA’s Webb Telescope Detects Traces of Carbon Dioxide on the Surface of Pluto’s Largest Moon
Adithi Ramakrishnan, AP – Scientists think carbon dioxide may have sprung from radiation pinging off water molecules on Charon’s surface.
Commerce Begins Beta Tests of Space Traffic Coordination System
Jeff Foust, SpaceNews – The Office of Space Commerce has started beta tests of its new space traffic coordination system, providing conjunction notices to a handful of operators. The Aerospace Corporation is one of nine organizations involved in this initial phase of TraCSS.
Returning to the Moon: The Next Chapter of Space Exploration
Present-day efforts to return to the Moon aren’t motivated by nostalgia; they represent the beginning of a sustained human presence, economy, and operations in cislunar space, paving the way for future expeditions deeper into and eventually beyond the Solar System.
DoD Leaders Discuss the Future of Air Force Nuclear Deterrent Systems
During the Air, Space and Cyber Conference, Under Secretary of the Air Force, Melissa Dalton, and other DoD leaders discussed the unique challenge of modernizing the Air Force’s nuclear deterrence fleet: replacing Minuteman III with Sentinel ICBMs.
U.S. Space Command Chief Sees Directed Energy Threats Growing
Robert Wall, Aviation Week – At the Defense Space 24 Conference, Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, said directed energy systems — high-energy lasers or high-power microwave weapons — are a growing threat.
Space Development Agency studying options for satellite tow services
In the coming years, the Space Development Agency plans to launch hundreds of satellites to low Earth orbit to track missiles and support targeting missions. But what happens when those spacecraft, each built to last about five years, are no longer operational?
Russia Threatens Space Strikes On Western Satellites At UN Peace Forum
Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes – At the Outer Space Security Conference in Geneva, Russian foreign ministry official Sergey Belousko issued a veiled threat to commercial space outfits that he accused of interfering in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Increasing Diversity of Satellites Will Test Launch Service Providers
Thierry Dubois and Robert Wall, Aviation Week – Satellite operators and launch providers may rely on increasingly complex arrangements, like having a heavy launcher send relatively small spacecraft to geostationary Earth orbit or outer space.
U.S. Eyes Geostationary Orbit for Next-Gen GPS
Sandra Erwin, SpaceNews – The Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3), developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, aims to test advanced technologies for future GPS systems. Its launch, potentially before year’s end, hinges on the certification of ULA’s Vulcan rocket.