Civil
Data sharing seen as critical to future of space situational awareness
The future of space situational awareness will increasingly rely on governments and companies sharing data that can be used to improve knowledge of space objects and create more accurate warnings of close approaches.
Incentives and requirements may be needed to enhance space sustainability
With satellite operators doing a poor job complying with guidelines to deorbit their satellites, incentives or even regulation may be inevitable to address concerns about orbital debris and satellite collisions.
NOAA weather satellite transferred to U.S. Air Force
A retired NOAA geostationary weather satellite is being handed over to the U.S. Air Force to fill in a gap in the service’s forecasting requirements.
Better coordination needed among operators to avoid potential collisions
As both the number of satellites and the number of potential collisions grow, government and industry officials say they need to improve the ways satellite operators coordinate maneuvers.
China, Russia to cooperate on lunar orbiter, landing missions
Countries to consider science payload contributions to respective Luna-26 and Chang’e-7 spacecraft and establish a joint data center for lunar and deep space exploration.
House members skeptical about NASA’s approach to returning humans to the moon
Members of a House committee expressed skepticism about NASA’s reliance on commercial launch vehicles to carry out human lunar landings by 2024 rather than an upgraded version of the Space Launch System.
Transparency key to the future of space traffic management
It is possible to build improved space traffic management approaches to ensure safe operations in space, a panel of experts in the field said Sept. 18, but it will require more transparency among satellite operators.
House stopgap funding bill includes no extra NASA funding
A House version of a stopgap spending bill does not include any special provisions for NASA, which threatens to delay work on lunar landers needed for the agency to achieve its goal of returning astronauts to the moon by 2024.
ESA turns to NASA to assist in crucial ExoMars parachute tests
ESA needs to succeed with two upcoming parachute tests or will see the ExoMars 2020 landing mission slip to 2022.
Gateway development remains on track
With one module under contract and a second soon to be formally awarded, NASA says development of the lunar Gateway, a key element of its Artemis effort to return humans to the moon, is moving ahead as planned.
Lunar lander failures offer a warning to commercial missions
The apparent failure of an Indian spacecraft to land on the moon this month is providing a reminder to NASA and its commercial partners of the challenges of not only the missions themselves but sharing data on problems they experience.
ISS National Lab work continues amid NASA review
An independent review of the nonprofit organization that operates the portion of the International Space Station designated a national lab has not affected its day-to-day work, an organization official said Sept. 16.
NASA cubesat to test lunar Gateway orbit
NASA has awarded a contract to a small business for the development of a cubesat designed to demonstrate the use of the unique orbit planned for the agency’s lunar Gateway.
EU agency starts space sustainability initiative
The European Union’s equivalent of a foreign ministry is starting a new effort to promote the need for sustainable space operations, but that effort will not initially include any new regulation of European satellite operators.
NASA Glenn center director to retire
A former astronaut who was considered last year for the post of NASA deputy administrator will retire from her current position as director of the agency’s Glenn Research Center at the end of September.
