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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
December 21, 2024
A Year in Sunsets
A year in sunsets, from April 2023 to March 2024, track along the western horizon in these stacked panoramic views. The well-planed sequence is constructed of images recorded near the 21st day of the indicated month from the same location overlooking Cairo, Egypt. But for any location on planet Earth the yearly extreme northern (picture right) and southern limits of the setting Sun mark the solstice days. The word solstice is from Latin for "Sun" and "stand still". On the solstice date the seasonal drift of the Sun's daily path through the sky appears to pause and reverse direction in its annual celestial journey. Of course the Sun reaches a stand still on today's date. The 21 December 2024 solstice at 09:21 UTC is the moment of the Sun's southernmost declination, the start of astronomical winter in the north and summer in the south.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
NASA’s New Deep Space Network Antenna Has Its Crowning Moment
Dec 20, 2024
NASA’s Deep Space Network, an array of giant radio antennas, allows agency missions to track, send commands to, and receive scientific data from spacecraft venturing to the Moon and beyond.
NASA is adding a new antenna, bringing the total to 15, to support increased demand for the world’s largest and most sensitive radio frequency telecommunication system.
Installation of the latest antenna took place on Dec. 18, when teams at NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, installed the metal reflector framework for Deep Space Station 23, a multifrequency beam-waveguide antenna.
When operational in 2026, Deep Space Station 23 will receive transmissions from missions such as Perseverance, Psyche, Europa Clipper, Voyager 1, and a growing fleet of future human and robotic spacecraft in deep space.
“This addition to the Deep Space Network represents a crucial communication upgrade for the agency,” said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator of NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program.
“The communications infrastructure has been in continuous operation since its creation in 1963, and with this upgrade we are ensuring NASA is ready to support the growing number of missions exploring the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”
Construction of the new antenna has been under way for more than four years, and during the installation, teams used a crawler crane to lower the 133-ton metal skeleton of the 112-foot-wide (34-meter-wide) parabolic reflector before it was bolted to a 65-foot-high (20-meter-high) alidade, a platform above the antenna’s pedestal that will steer the reflector during operations.
“One of the biggest challenges facing us during the lift was to ensure that 40 bolt-holes were perfectly aligned between the structure and alidade,” said Germaine Aziz, systems engineer, Deep Space Network Aperture Enhancement Program of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
“This required a meticulous emphasis on alignment prior to the lift to guarantee everything went smoothly on the day.”
Following the main lift, engineers carried out a lighter lift to place a quadripod, a four-legged support structure weighing 16 1/2 tons, onto the center of the upward-facing reflector.
The quadripod features a curved subreflector that will direct radio frequency signals from deep space that bounce off the main reflector into the antenna’s pedestal, where the antenna’s receivers are housed.
Engineers will now work to fit panels onto the steel skeleton to create a curved surface to reflect radio frequency signals.
Once complete, Deep Space Station 23 will be the fifth of six new beam-waveguide antennas to join the network, following Deep Space Station 53, which was added at the Deep Space Network’s Madrid complex in 2022.
“With the Deep Space Network, we are able to explore the Martian landscape with our rovers, see the James Webb Space Telescope’s stunning cosmic observations, and so much more,” said Laurie Leshin, director of JPL.
“The network enables over 40 deep space missions, including the farthest human-made objects in the universe, Voyager 1 and 2.
With upgrades like these, the network will continue to support humanity’s exploration of our solar system and beyond, enabling groundbreaking science and discovery far into the future.”
https://www.nasa.gov/technology/space-comms/deep-space-network/nasas-new-deep-space-network-antenna-has-its-crowning-moment/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia26456-a-new-antenna-at-dsns-goldstone-awaits-construction/
Carlos Garcia-Galan Named NASA Gateway Program Deputy Manager
December 20, 2024
Carlos Garcia-Galan, a 27-year veteran of the space industry, has been appointed deputy manager for the Gateway program at NASA.
The agency said Thursday Garcia-Galan will leverage his extensive experience in human spaceflight in his new role.
Carlos Garcia-Galan’s Professional Journey
Garcia-Galan spent the majority of his career at NASA. He most recently served as manager of the Orion program’s European Service Module.
He was also deputy manager of the Orion Vehicle Integration Office and multi-purpose crew vehicle mission and systems integration lead for over six years.
He additionally served as deputy manager of the Orion Mission & Systems Integration where he provided technical leadership for the team responsible for Orion’s fault management system, mission event sequencing and other critical tasks.
He oversaw the Orion HW/SW System Integration Team, responsible for the integration of various vehicle subsystems.
Garcia-Galan served as International Space Station flight controller for over four years where he was the increment operations lead for NASA’s Mission Operations directorate.
He also worked as the deputy system manager of the Orion VSM.
Before his 18-year run with NASA, Garcia-Galan worked at Honeywell for six years. He started his career in 1997 as a NASA flight controller, a role he held until 2001.
Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, said of Garcia-Galan, “His wealth of experience in human spaceflight, international partnerships and the development and operations of deep-space spacecraft will be a huge asset to Gateway.”
Gateway Program Manager Jon Olansen, added, “Carlos brings a tremendous technical background and extensive leadership experience that will greatly benefit our program, augmenting our strong team as we progress towards deploying the lunar Gateway.”
https://executivegov.com/2024/12/carlos-garcia-galan-nasa-gateway-program-deputy-manager/
NASA Selects Four Commercial Companies to Support Near Space Network
Dec 20, 2024
NASA has selected multiple companies to expand the agency’s Near Space Network’s commercial direct-to-Earth capabilities services, which is a mission-critical communication capability that allows spacecraft to transmit data directly to ground stations on Earth.
The work will be awarded under new Near Space Network services contracts that are firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts.
Project timelines span from February 2025 to September 2029, with an additional five-year option period that could extend a contract through Sept. 30, 2034.
The cumulative maximum value of all Near Space Network Services contracts is $4.82 billion.
Some companies received multiple task orders for subcategories identified in their contracts. Awards are as follows:
Intuitive Machines of Houston will receive two task order awards on its contract for Subcategory 1.2 GEO to Cislunar Direct to Earth (DTE) Services and Subcategory 1.3 xCislunar DTE Services to support NASA’s Lunar Exploration Ground Segment, providing additional capacity to alleviate demand on the Deep Space Network and to meet the mission requirements for unique, highly elliptical orbits.
The company also previously received a task order award for Subcategory 2.2 GEO to Cislunar Relay Services.
Kongsberg Satellite Services of Tromsø, Norway, will receive two task order awards on its contract for Subcategory 1.1 Earth Proximity DTE and Subcategory 1.2 to support science missions in low Earth orbit and NASA’s Lunar Exploration Ground Segment, providing additional capacity to alleviate demand on the Deep Space Network.
SSC Space U.S. Inc. of Horsham, Pennsylvania, will receive two task order awards on its contract for Subcategories 1.1 and 1.3 to support science missions in low Earth orbit and to meet the mission requirements for unique, highly elliptical orbits.
Viasat, Inc. of Duluth, Georgia, will be awarded a task order on its contract for Subcategory 1.1 to support science missions in low Earth orbit.
The Near Space Network’s direct-to-Earth capability supports many of NASA’s missions ranging from climate studies on Earth to research on celestial objects.
It also will play a role in NASA’s Artemis campaign, which calls for long-term exploration of the Moon.
NASA’s goal is to provide users with communication and navigation services that are secure, reliable, and affordable, so that all NASA users receive the services required by their mission within their latency, accuracy, and availability requirements.
These awards demonstrate NASA’s ongoing commitment to fostering strong partnerships with the commercial space sector, which plays an essential role in delivering the communications infrastructure critical to the agency’s science and exploration missions.
As part of the agency’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program, teams at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will carry out the work of the Near Space Network.
The Near Space Network provides missions out to 1.2 million miles (2 million kilometers) with communications and navigation services, enabling spacecraft to exchange critical data with mission operators on Earth.
Using space relays in geosynchronous orbit and a global system of government and commercial direct-to-Earth antennas on Earth, the network brings down terabytes of data each day.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-four-commercial-companies-to-support-near-space-network/
https://www.nasa.gov/near-space-network/
NASA Images Reveal World's Largest Iceberg Escaping Antarctica
Updated Dec 20, 2024 at 5:53 PM EST
Images of the largest iceberg in the world have been snapped by NASA as it drifts toward its doom in warmer waters.
The iceberg, named A-23A (sometimes called A23a), just escaped from an ocean current vortex that had trapped it just to the north of the South Orkney Islands for months, rotating anticlockwise more or less on the spot at a rate of about 15 degrees every day.
Now, the iceberg has broken free of this watery cage and is floating northeast in the direction of South Georgia Island, where it is expected to break up and melt into oblivion.
NASA images reveal the journey of this gargantuan slab of ice as it made a break for the open waters of the Southern Ocean, finally escaping the grips of Antarctica.
These pictures were snapped by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instruments on several NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites.
As of Friday, A-23A is about 1,062 square miles in area, according to the U.S. National Ice Center, making it about twice the size of Los Angeles.
The iceberg was previously bigger, about the size of Rhode Island, having reached an area of 1,700 square miles in November 2023.
In 1986, A-23A initially broke off from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf near the Antarctic Peninsula but almost immediately became grounded on the seafloor in the southern Weddell Sea.
The iceberg remained there for over 30 years until it finally floated free in 2020, likely because of melting, and floated northward along the Antarctic Peninsula.
Then, in the summer of 2024, A-23A became trapped in a Taylor column—a rotating current—above a bump on the ocean floor called the Pirie Bank.
"It's exciting to see A23a on the move again after periods of being stuck.
We are interested to see if it will take the same route the other large icebergs that have calved off Antarctica have taken," said Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey and co-lead of the OCEAN:ICE project, in a statement.
Over 90 percent of Antarctic icebergs end up floating in a clockwise-flowing current called the Weddell Gyre, skirting along the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula just as A-23A initially did.
This route is named Iceberg Alley and is the final route of most icebergs as they are propelled northward into warmer waters to their inevitable demise.
However, some icebergs take some detours along the way, including iceberg A-68A, which looped around in the Drake Passage for a while in 2017, and A-23A itself.
During its time in the Taylor column, A-23A was seen making 15 total revolutions as it spun.
"I am not aware of an iceberg that has been trapped in such a persistent manner in such a small area," said Jan Lieser, an ice specialist at the Antarctic Meteorological Service who has been tracking A-23A, in a NASA Earth Observatory blog post.
The iceberg has traveled about 150 miles since escaping the Taylor column, heading northeast. Exactly what caused the emancipation of A-23A from the current remains unknown.
"My hypothesis is that a random perturbation in the system might have triggered a slight variation of the 'usual' spin, such that the iceberg found an exit path," Lieser said.
In the coming months, A-23A will slowly shrink, breaking apart and melting, and the "largest iceberg" title will go to another.
https://www.newsweek.com/iceberg-antarctica-a23a-escape-current-nasa-images-2004361
NASA’s Ames Research Center Celebrates 85 Years of Innovation
Dec 20, 2024
Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley pre-dates a lot of things. The center existed before NASA – the very space and aeronautics agency it’s a critical part of today.
And of all the marvelous advancements in science and technology that have fundamentally changed our lives over the last 85 years since its founding, one aspect has remained steadfast; an enduring commitment to what’s known by some on-center simply as, “an atmosphere of freedom.”
Years before breaking ground at the site that would one day become home to the world’s preeminent wind tunnels, supercomputers, simulators, and brightest minds solving some of the world’s toughest challenges, Joseph Sweetman Ames, the center’s namesake, described a sentiment that would guide decades of innovation and research:
“My hope is that you have learned or are learning a love of freedom of thought and are convinced that life is worthwhile only in such an atmosphere,” he said in an address to the graduates of Johns Hopkins University in June 1935.
That spirit and the people it attracted and retained are a crucial part of how Ames, along with other N.A.C.A. research centers, ultimately made technological breakthroughs that enabled humanity’s first steps on the Moon, the safe return of spacecraft through Earth’s atmosphere, and many other discoveries that benefit our day-to-day lives.
“In the context of my work, an atmosphere of freedom means the freedom to pursue high-risk, high-reward, innovative ideas that may take time to fully develop and — most importantly — the opportunity to put them into practice for the benefit of all,” said Edward Balaban, a researcher at Ames specializing in artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced mission concepts.
Balaban’s career at Ames has involved a variety of projects at different stages of development – from early concept to flight-ready – including experimenting with different ways to create super-sized space telescopes in space and using artificial intelligence to help guide the path a rover might take to maximize off-world science results.
Like many Ames researchers over the years, Balaban shared that his experience has involved deep collaborations across science and engineering disciplines with colleagues all over the center, as well as commercial and academic partners in Silicon Valley where Ames is nestled and beyond.
This is a tradition that runs deep at Ames and has helped lead to entirely new fields of study and seeded many companies and spinoffs.
“In the fields of aeronautics and space exploration the cost of entry can be quite high.
For commercial enterprises and universities pursuing longer term ideas and putting them into practice often means partnering up with an organization such as NASA that has the scale and multi-disciplinary expertise to mature these ideas for real-world applications,” added Balaban.
“Certainly, the topics of inquiry, the academic freedom, and the benefit to the public good are what has kept me at Ames,” reflected Ross Beyer, a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute at Ames.
“There’s not a lot of commercial incentive to study other planets, for example, but maybe there will be soon.
In the meantime, only with government funding and agencies like NASA can we develop missions to explore the unknown in order to make important fundamental science discoveries and broadly share them.”
For Beyer, his boundary-breaking moment came when he searched – and found – software engineers at Ames capable and passionate about open-source software to generate accurate, high-resolution, texture-mapped, 3D terrain models from stereo image pairs.
He and other teams of NASA scientists have since applied that software to study and better understand everything from changes in snow and ice characteristics on Earth, as well as features like craters, mountains, and caves on Mars or the Moon.
This capability is part of the Artemis campaign, through which NASA will establish a long-term presence at the Moon for scientific exploration with commercial and international partners.
The mission is to learn how to live and work away from home, promote the peaceful use of space, and prepare for future human exploration of Mars.
“As NASA and private companies send missions to the Moon, they need to plan landing sites and understand the local environment, and our software is freely available for anyone to use,” Beyer said.
“Years ago, our management could easily have said ‘No, let’s keep this software to ourselves; it gives us a competitive advantage.’
They didn’t, and I believe that NASA writ large allows you to work on things and share those things and not hold them back.”
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/ames/nasas-ames-research-center-celebrates-85-years-of-innovation/
ISRO Sign Agreement With European Space Agency To Advance Human Spaceflight And Space Exploration
December 21, 2024
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has joined forces with the European Space Agency (ESA) in a significant collaboration aimed at advancing human space exploration.
This new partnership will focus on astronaut training, research experiments, and mission implementation, marking a step forward in the global space exploration landscape.
Agreement for Human Spaceflight Cooperation
On Saturday, ISRO and ESA signed a comprehensive agreement to work together in the areas of human space exploration.
The deal was signed by ISRO Chairman S. Somanath and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, setting the foundation for joint activities in various aspects of space exploration.
The collaboration will cover astronaut training, integration of space experiments, research on human health in space, and educational programs, among other areas.
The focus of this partnership is to develop and strengthen human spaceflight capabilities, with both agencies committing to exploring new frontiers in space exploration.
Key Initiatives Under the Agreement
A significant project under this new collaboration will be the Axiom-4 mission, which will see a crew consisting of both an ESA astronaut and ISRO's Gaganyatri astronaut.
The mission will involve a series of experiments led by Indian Principal Investigators aboard the International Space Station (ISS), furthering scientific knowledge in space.
In addition to the Axiom-4 mission, the collaboration will focus on human and biomedical research, technology demonstrations, and space experiments, utilizing ESA's advanced facilities on the ISS.
The partnership also includes joint outreach and educational programs designed to inspire the next generation of space enthusiasts and scientists.
ISRO’s Ambitious Space Exploration Vision
Somanath emphasized ISRO’s long-term roadmap for human spaceflight during the signing of the agreement, highlighting the agency's vision for expanding its role in space exploration.
One of the key milestones in ISRO's future plans is the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), India’s upcoming indigenous space station.
This new station presents significant opportunities for collaboration and interoperability with international human spaceflight platforms.
The partnership with ESA is seen as a major step towards ISRO's goal of becoming a key player in global space exploration efforts, with a particular focus on human spaceflight and scientific research in space.
Strengthening International Space Collaboration
ESA's Director General, Aschbacher, praised the progress made in the collaboration and expressed his appreciation for ISRO’s efforts in strengthening ties between the two agencies.
The partnership represents a solid framework for future space exploration projects, and both ISRO and ESA are excited about the prospects of working together on the Axiom-4 mission and other upcoming space initiatives.
The new partnership between ISRO and ESA is expected to open up numerous opportunities for technological advancements, joint scientific research, and continued collaboration in the field of human space exploration.
With both agencies committed to this joint effort, the future of space exploration looks brighter than ever.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/techandscience/isro-sign-agreement-with-european-space-agency-to-advance-human-spaceflight-and-space-exploration/ar-AA1wgXgB
SpaDeX Mission: A leap towards India’s space ambitions
Updated - December 21, 2024 at 08:55 PM
India is close to taking another giant step in space technology with Indian Space Research Organisation’s SpaDeX mission, launching soon with PSLV-C60, to demonstrate in-space docking using two small spacecraft.
This technology is key to future lunar missions, building Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), and more.
With this mission India aims to join the elite club of nations with space docking capabilities.
On Saturday, the launch vehicle has been integrated and moved to the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, in Sriharikota for further integration of satellites and launch preparations, ISRO said in a social media post.
ISRO is yet to announce the launch date.
In-space docking, technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives.
Through this mission, India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology.
The primary objective of the SpaDeX mission is to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft (SDX01, which is the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target, nominally) in a low-Earth circular orbit.
Secondary objectives include demonstration of the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, which is essential for future applications such as in-space robotics; composite spacecraft control and payload operations after undocking, said ISRO.
Mission Concept
The SpaDeX mission consists of two small spacecraft (about 220 kg each) to be launched by PSLV-C60, independently and simultaneously, into a 470 km circular orbit at 55 degree inclination, with a local time cycle of about 66 days.
The demonstrated precision of the PSLV vehicle will be utilised to give a small relative velocity between the Target and Chaser spacecraft at the time of separation from the launch vehicle.
This incremental velocity will allow the Target spacecraft to build a 10-20 km inter-satellite separation with the Chaser within a day.
At this point, the relative velocity between the Target will be compensated using the propulsion system of the Target spacecraft.
At the end of this drift arrest maneuver, the Target and Chaser will be in the same orbit with identical velocity but separated by about 20 km, known as Far Rendezvous.
After successful docking and rigidisation, electrical power transfer between the two satellites will be demonstrated before undocking and separation of the two satellites to start the operation of their respective payloads for the expected mission life of up to two years, ISRO said.
New Technologies
The indigenous technologies developed for enabling this docking mission included docking mechanism; a suite of four rendezvous and docking sensors and power transfer technology, ISRO said.
The SpaDeX spacecraft were designed and realised by the UR Rao Satellite Centre with the support of other ISRO centres.
The full integration and testing of the satellite were carried out at Ananth Technologies, Bengaluru.
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/spadex-mission-a-leap-towards-indias-space-ambitions/article69013353.ece
STARCOM activates Space Force’s first cyber range squadron
Dec. 20, 2024
Space Training and Readiness Command officially stood up the Space Force’s first cyber range squadron, the 33rd Range Squadron (RGS), during an activation ceremony on Schriever Space Force Base, Dec. 16.
The new squadron, which falls under Space Delta 11, marks a critical milestone in advancing the Space Force’s ability to test, train, and prepare for cyber threats in the contested space domain.
For more than two years, space cyber operations training and testing were conducted under the 11th Delta Operations Squadron/S9.
With the activation of the 33rd RGS, the mission transitions to a dedicated unit capable of providing space warfighters a cyber aggressor force and interconnected, scalable, and distributed range environments to sharpen joint warfighting solutions and enhance readiness for cyber and space operations.
The 33rd RGS now holds tactical control of cyber operational test and training infrastructure capabilities, a system of cyber ranges that will support advanced testing, training, and interagency cooperation across air, space, and cyberspace operations.
The 33rd RGS will operate and maintain the range environments built for and utilized by Space Force cyber squadrons.
This activation reflects a key focus area for Space Force leadership in expanding test and training infrastructure to prepare Guardians for emerging threats in both space and cyberspace.
During the activation ceremony, Col. Jay Steingold, Space Delta 11 commander, praised the work that led to the squadron’s standup and highlighted its importance to the Space Force mission.
“The 33rd will now fill a unique role by setting the arena for our Cyber Guardians … presenting them with realistic mission terrain in which to hone their Defensive Cyber Operations for Space Systems, in conjunction with high-end fight training and certification events,” Steingold said.
He reiterated that that the creation of the squadron allows the USSF to present Guardians who are prepared to defend the cyber mission terrain and combat threats in an increasingly complex battlespace.
Steingold then passed the guidon to Lt. Col. Brandon Wilson, officially designating him as the first commander of the 33rd RGS.
In his first address as commander, Wilson emphasized the importance of the squadron’ and its role in preparing Guardians to prevail in conflict.
“Our mission is clear – to prepare Guardians to prevail in conflict and war. This is a responsibility of critical importance.
What we do directly impacts the safety of our nation, the freedoms we cherish, and the way of life we aim to protect,” Wilson explained.
“Every arena we build and every skill we hone and develop will prepare our Guardians to meet the challenges ahead with confidence and capability.
I am humbled and honored to serve alongside you, and I look forward to the great things we will achieve together.”
Wilson later unveiled the squadron’s patch, featuring a Steller’s jay, a bird of prey native to Colorado known for its high intelligence, adaptability, and aggressive protection of its territory.
These traits align with the squadron’s mission to defend and secure critical cyber and space assets with precision and vigilance.
Going forward, the 33rd RGS will play a pivotal role in advancing Guardian training and tactics, ensuring U.S. space and cyber forces maintain a competitive edge in future conflicts.
“The bottom line is that our delta’s top priority is to provide the venues and thinking adversaries our Guardians require to hone their skills on the employment of their weapons systems in a contested, degraded, operationally-limited environment,” Steingold said.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4014652/starcom-activates-space-forces-first-cyber-range-squadron/
SpaceX Launches
Dec 21, 2024
Bandwagon-2 Mission
On Saturday, December 21 at 3:34 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched the Bandwagon-2 mission to orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
On board this mission were 30 payloads for KOREA ADD, Arrow Science and Technology, Exolaunch, HawkEye 360, Maverick Space Systems, Sidus Space, Tomorrow Companies Inc., True Anomaly, and Think Orbital.
This was thee 21st flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, SWOT, Transporter-8, Transporter-9, NROL-146, and 13 Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=bandwagon-2
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/spacex/2024/12/20/what-to-know-spacex-falon-9-rocket-launch-from-cape-canaveral-florida-friday-night/77086068007/
Astranis: From One to Many Mission
SpaceX is targeting Sunday, December 22 for Falcon 9’s launch of the Astranis: From One to Many mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The 129-minue launch window opens at 12:00 a.m. ET.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.
You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
This will be the 17th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, NG-20, TD-7, and nine Starlink missions.
After stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=astranis-from-one-to-many
Rocket Lab launches private Earth-imaging satellite to orbit on its final flight of 2024
December 21, 2024
Rocket Lab launched a private Earth-observing radar satellite to orbit today (Dec. 21) on the company's final mission of a busy 2024.
An Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site today at 9:16 a.m. EDT (1416 GMT; 3:16 a.m. Dec. 22 local New Zealand time), kicking off a mission called "Owl The Way Up."
That name was a reference to the payload — one of Japanese company Synspective's Strix radar-imaging satellites. (Strix is a widespread genus of owls.)
Everything went according to plan: The Electron deployed the Strix satellite into its target orbit 357 miles (574 kilometers) above Earth about 54.5 minutes after launch, according to the company.
"That rounds out 100% mission success for every launch this year. Congratulations team and thanks to all the customers that have flown with us in 2024. On to 2025……." Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said via X shortly after payload deployment.
Synspective has booked a total of 16 Electron launches to build out the Strix constellation in low Earth orbit, a system of "synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites designed to deliver imagery that can detect millimeter-level changes to the Earth's surface from space," Rocket Lab wrote in a mission description.
"Owl The Way Up" was the sixth of these 16 missions to fly. Rocket Lab has now launched a total of 55 Electron missions to date, 14 of them this year.
The company has also conducted three flights with HASTE, a suborbital version of Electron that serves as a testbed for hypersonic technology.
"Owl The Way Up" was originally supposed to launch on Friday (Dec. 20), but that attempt was scrubbed due to a sensor issue.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/watch-rocket-lab-launch-a-private-earth-imaging-satellite-this-morning
https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/missions-launched/owl-the-way-up/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7VZB4pHJrQ
Retired military weather satellite breaks up
December 20, 2024
A defunct military weather satellite has broken up in orbit and created more than 50 pieces of debris, the latest in a series of similar incidents involving that line of spacecraft.
The U.S. Space Force reported Dec. 19 that it had identified a “low-velocity fragmentation event” involving the DMSP-5D2 F14 spacecraft.
The event took place at 9:10 p.m. Eastern Dec. 18 at an altitude of 840 kilometers, but the announcement did not disclose how much debris had been created by the event.
Two commercial space situational awareness companies, LeoLabs and Slingshot Aerospace, said they were also tracking the breakup event.
Slingshot, in a Dec. 19 social media post, said they believe the breakup took place before 8:15 p.m. Eastern on the 18th, an hour earlier than the Space Force’s estimate, based on tracking from its optical ground stations.
LeoLabs, in a Dec. 20 statement to SpaceNews, said its network of radars was tracking more than 50 objects from the fragmentation of DMSP-5D2 F14.
The 750-kilogram satellite was launched in 1997 as part of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, operating in a sun-synchronous orbit.
The spacecraft was retired in 2020 but remained in its sun-synchronous orbit.
DMSP-5D2 F14 is part of a family of spacecraft that have suffered breakups in orbit. The F12 satellite broke up in October 2016, following the breakup of F13 in February 2015.
In 2004, the F11 spacecraft broke up, creating 56 pieces of tracked debris. All the satellites had a battery assembly with a design flaw that made them vulnerable to explosion.
A similar spacecraft design was used for a line of civilian polar-orbiting weather satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The NOAA-16 satellite broke up in November 2015, followed by NOAA-17 in March 2021.
Many of those satellites broke up despite going through a “passivation” process at the end of their lives, which includes draining batteries and venting fuel tanks.
That process is designed to remove energy sources in a satellite that could cause it to break up long after being decommissioned.
Industry experts have noted that the passivation process may not be fully effective on some older satellites designed before orbital debris mitigation practices were enacted.
https://spacenews.com/retired-military-weather-satellite-breaks-up/
https://x.com/sling_shot_aero/status/1869853991296741726
Ukraine Drones Hit Russian Hideout in War's First Unmanned Ground Attack
Dec 21, 2024 at 10:24 AM EST
What's New
Ukrainian forces have carried out their first front line ground attack using only unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and first-person view (FPV) drones without relying on infantry, it has been reported.
The head of a Ukrainian brigade said that the attack on an unspecified date had destroyed Russian positions near Lyptsi, a village in the Kharkiv region.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
Why it matters
Drones on the battlefield will continue to play an increasingly important role for Ukrainian forces to offset troop shortages and the prospect of dwindling foreign military aid in 2025.
Russian forces are maintaining battlefield momentum along the front having made gains in the Donetsk region where they are bearing down upon the logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
It means that technological innovation will become even more critical for Ukraine to fight Russian aggression.
What we know
Spokesman for the Charter Brigade of Ukraine's National Guard, Sergeant Volodymyr Degtyarev, said Friday that Ukrainian forces had conducted their first ground attack exclusively using robotic systems.
He said Ukrainian troops used UGVs equipped with machine guns and UGVs laid and cleared mines along parts of the front near Lyptsi by the Russian border.
Ukraine used "dozens" of robotic and unmanned vehicles simultaneously on a small section of the front, he told the Ukrainian outlet Suspilne, according to a translation.
"Whoever uses new technology will have an advantage," he said.
"The pace of assimilation is important here, and it depends on support and resources so that the team can quickly develop its own workshops, engineers and quickly adapt the technology," he added.
What people are saying
Spokesman for the Charter Brigade of Ukraine's National Guard, Sergeant Volodymyr Degtyarev said: "Whoever uses new technology will have an advantage."
The Institute for the Study of War said: "Ukraine also continues to innovate aerial drone production."
What happens next
The operation in the Kharkiv oblast comes as Russian forces are trying to expand the bridgehead near the Oskil River in the region.
Ukrainian troops managed to stop two columns of Russian equipment in this area on Wednesday, Ukraine's General Staff reported.
Kyiv is likely to expand its use of its domestically-produced drones which are likely to be key going into the New Year as it faces troop shortages.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Ukrainian officials are emphasizing Ukraine's technological innovations and asymmetrical strike capabilities "to offset Ukraine's manpower limitations" in contrast to Russia's "willingness to accept unsustainable casualty rates for marginal territorial gains."
The Washington, D.C. think tank also said that Kyiv "continues to innovate aerial drone production," citing how tests had just been completed on a drone attached to fiber optic cables that will be more resistant to electronic warfare (EW) interference.
https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-russiadrones-kharkiv-2004584