coronavirus
NASA expects vaccination mandates to have little impact on Artemis 1 preparations
As NASA prepares to install the Orion spacecraft on the first Space Launch System rocket, agency officials played down any effect coronavirus vaccine mandates will have on final preparations for the launch.
Omnibus spending bill gives Space Force its first separate budget
The package approved by Congress for fiscal year 2021 provides $696 billion for the Defense Department, including $15.2 billion for the U.S. Space Force.
Virgin Galactic delays SpaceShipTwo test flight because of pandemic
Virgin Galactic is postponing a test flight of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle that was scheduled for this week after the state of New Mexico reinstated a stay-at-home order in response to a surge of COVID-19 cases.
Pentagon has not shown COVID stimulus helps small businesses, says HASC chairman
Rep. Adam Smith: “We remain concerned that COVID relief money isn’t getting to the right people."
Speedcast seeks $395 million exit from bankruptcy
Satellite communications provider Speedcast is seeking to sell itself to one of its largest debt holders as a means of exiting Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Peace of the Worlds
While humans have found a shared imperative in the fight against the coronavirus, we need something more than a common enemy to combat the isolation and loss that have come to define this pandemic.
Coronavirus adds to ViaSat-3 launch delay
The coronavirus pandemic has slowed some work on the first ViaSat-3 broadband satellite, making a launch in mid-2021 unlikely, Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said Aug. 7.
Senate pandemic relief bill offers $1.5 billion for NASA
A coronavirus pandemic spending package introduced in the Senate this week would provide $1.5 billion in supplemental funding for NASA, although agency leadership says the exact amount of money the agency needs to cover its costs remains to be determined.
Global Eagle files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
Global Eagle Entertainment, a provider of media services and satellite Wi-Fi to aircraft, boats and remote locations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection July 22, citing the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on global travel.
NASA still grappling with effects of coronavirus pandemic
Four months after closing centers because of the coronavirus pandemic, NASA has been able to keep its highest priority missions on track, even as others have suffered delays.
European Commission agrees to reduced space budget
The European Commission slashed its space budget for the next seven years, agreeing to a maximum of 13.2 billion ($15.2 billion) focused mainly on continuing the Galileo and Copernicus satellite programs.
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.
South Korean defense company Hanwha Systems buys Phasor out of bankruptcy
Phasor Solutions, a company that ran out of cash trying to develop a phased array antenna for satellite communications, was purchased by Hanwha Systems, a South Korean defense company.
Asia-Pacific satellite operators still assessing pandemic’s market impacts
Three months after the coronavirus pandemic brought large swaths of the global economy to a near halt, Asia-Pacific satellite operators say they are still trying to identify a new normal.
Viasat laid off 300 amid steep drop in air travel
Baldridge said that in addition to the 300 layoffs, Viasat furloughed some employees, froze salaries for a large number of workers, and brought hiring to a virtual standstill in an effort to curb costs.
RSCC planning four satellites to cover Russia’s Far North
Yuri Prokhorov, RSCC’s chief executive, said the company wants to have the satellites in orbit in 2024 to provide Ku-band coverage to Russia’s Far North.
Op-ed | COVID-19’s lesson for nuclear detonation warning
COVID-19’s lesson for nuclear detonation warning is that satellite-based nuclear detonation detection broadcasts must be declassified now so that in the future they can be received directly by cellphones in time to save lives.
Forgivable loans in an unforgiving environment
Many space companies began working with their banks to apply as soon as PPP was unveiled in March, but were frustrated when the initial tranche of $320 million was committed in less than two weeks.
Op-ed | An unexpected effect: the industry’s recent challenges prove the importance of space
Rationalization of the startup landscape and the right sizing of company balance sheets is inevitable, paving the way for “Space 3.0,” which will see the profitable and sustainable exploitation of entirely new market opportunities, backed by a growing base of enlightened stakeholders.
