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NASA implements changes to planetary protection policies for moon and Mars missions
NASA announced July 9 two new directives regarding planetary protection for missions to the moon and Mars that implement recommendations of an independent review board last year.
Eumetsat shifts two tardy satellites to Ariane 6
Program delays have forced Eumetsat to reserve a pair of Ariane 6 rockets for two European weather satellites originally anticipated to launch on Ariane 5 rockets.
Cost growth prompts changes to Europa Clipper instruments
Cost overruns on three instruments for NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft led NASA to consider dropping them from the mission and ultimately requiring significant changes to some of them.
Ex-Im Bank to step up support for space industry challenged by Chinese competitors
Congress stood up the “Program on China and Transformational Exports" which Ex-Im is now working to implement
House Republicans criticize NASA spending bill
As the head of NASA emphasized what he saw as bipartisan support for the agency in Congress, several Republican members of the House criticized colleagues for a fiscal year 2021 spending bill they believe inadequately funds the agency.
House bill offers flat funding for NASA
A House appropriations bill released July 7 rejected the administration’s proposed major budget increase for NASA, instead offering the agency a flat budget for 2021 that takes particular aim at the agency’s efforts to develop lunar landers.
Commentary | Mars 2020 Mission another step closer to Launch
On June 10, NASA IV&V participated in the Mars 2020 Safety and Mission Success Review (SMSR) where final mission assurance conclusions were provided, culminating in an affirmative “Go” from NASA IV&V, providing concurrence for the project to move forward to the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) in July. This milestone is the culmination of years of hard work by JPL and NASA IV&V to confirm Mars 2020 mission readiness for launch currently set for July 30.
Just in time for severe weather: Radio occultation data feeds NOAA weather models
NOAA forecasters predicting an active 2020 hurricane season are refining storm track and intensity forecasts thanks to data from multiple satellites, including the second Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC-2).
Thales Alenia Space wins lion’s share of newly awarded Copernicus contracts
Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy won the largest share of prime contracts the European Space Agency awarded July 1 for further development of six new Copernicus satellite missions.
UCAR’s president talks about space weather, radio occultation and a multidisciplinary approach to Earth science
As Congress and the Trump Administration seek to improve space weather coordination, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research is eager to help.
The long countdown to commercial crew’s liftoff
How a 2005 call for ‘skin in the game’ started a 15-year countdown to the first human orbital spaceflight from U.S. soil since 2011
Op-ed | Is the future of space ops officeless?
Satellite experts should be asking: why is the space industry, the original ‘remote’ industry, behind the curve when it comes to truly remote operations?
Foust Forward | How will the pandemic change NASA?
Three months after the coronavirus pandemic upended American society, there are signs of recovery. NASA is also taking the first initial steps back to normal operations.
Military spaceplane experiment sheds light on space solar satellites
An experiment launched May 17 onboard the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-6 is based on over a decade of work focused on a modular space solar satellite capable of beaming energy to Earth.
NASA preparing second round of smallsat launch services program
NASA plans to issue multiple contracts in the coming months for smallsat launch services in the second phase of a program intended to support the emerging small launch vehicle industry.
Southwest Research Institute wins NOAA contract to build space weather instrument
The Southwest Research Institute won a $15.6 million contract to design and build the Solar Wind Plasma Sensor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Follow On (SWFO) Lagrange 1 satellite.
