From the Magazine
The UAE’s hope for success at Mars, and at home
A Mars mission is all the more difficult for a country with little spaceflight experience. Yet, the United Arab Emirates is willing to try.
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).
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.
Op-ed | On the verge of a new era for space exploration? Assessing the impact of the ongoing crisis
Establishing an international long-term sustainable lunar presence in partnership with the private sector remains the core focus in space exploration
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.
On National Security | The promise and perils of LEO constellations
DoD’s Space Development Agency is leading the way as it prepares to put up a communications transport layer and a surveillance and tracking layer for hypersonic missile defense.
From Canada to America and back, MDA returns home
Maxar Technologies sold MDA for $729 million to a consortium of investors led by Northern Private Capital of Toronto, placing MDA right where it started: Canada. SpaceNews spoke to Mike Greenley about what’s next for MDA.
NRO to award multiple imagery contracts by year’s end
By the end of the year, the National Reconnaissance Office plans to issue “multiple operational commercial imagery contracts to support defense, security and many other U.S. government missions,” said Pete Muend, director of NRO’s Commercial Systems Program Office.
Planting the seeds of technology for the future Space Force
A conversation with Col. Eric Felt, director of AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate in which he discusses how the U.S. Space Force is small in size but big on technology.
Op-ed | Rocket science was the easy part. What can other domains teach us about space?
Because we consider space unique, we often fail to look at other domains for inspiration and to avoid potential pitfalls. That’s a mistake.
Flying cubesats from home: Pandemic accelerates trend toward remote operations
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted cubesat operators across the country to abandon mission operations centers in favor of living rooms and kitchen tables.
NASA’s next giant leaps
Blue Origin, SpaceX and Dynetics have NASA’s trust, but not a lot of time, to meet a 2024 goal for landing on the moon.
Coronavirus pandemic likely to leave its mark on space industry conferences
No one knows when local, state and federal agencies will lift travel restrictions and declare large gatherings safe to resume. In the meantime, companies are relying heavily on video conferencing for everything from staff meetings to customer outreach and hiring.
