Tag: Satellite

Intelsat’s IS-33e Satellite a ‘Total Loss’ After Breaking Up in Orbit

Via Satellite reports, “Intelsat confirmed on Monday the Intelsat-33e satellite is a “total loss” after a recent anomaly. Intelsat first reported a service outage on the satellite on Oct. 19. U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) on Saturday confirmed the satellite broke up in orbit. S4S is currently tracking 20 pieces of debris while conducting ongoing analysis and reported no immediate threats.”
Full Story (Via Satellite)

Terran Orbital Announces Satellite Production Increase

Space News reports that on Thursday, satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital “plans to accelerate production at its factory in California, promising deliveries in 30 to 60 days” beginning next year. Terran Orbital Cofounder, Chairman, and CEO Marc Bell said the company is marketing this effort as a “responsive space initiative” to shorten production timelines. Bell said the 30-60 day service “will be available in late 2024.” The company will “rely on increased automation and robotics systems to speed up production, said Bell.”
Full Story (Space News)

Amazon Switches to Atlas V Rocket for First Project Kuiper Satellite Launch

Bloomberg reports Amazon “said it plans to launch the first two test satellites for its Project Kuiper constellation this fall on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, rather than its next-generation Vulcan, as previously planned.” The change “comes amid repeated delays of the debut launch of Vulcan, which has been in development for much of the last decade.” Space News reports spokesman James Watkins said the target launch date is September 26.
Full Story (Bloomberg); More Info (Space News)

AIAA, Iridium, OneWeb, SpaceX Release “Satellite Orbital Safety Best Practices” Reference Guide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Authors will discuss at ASCENDx Webinar, 15 September

UPDATED September 9, 2022 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), along with Iridium Communications, Inc., OneWeb, and SpaceX, today announced the immediate release of a best practices reference guide, “Satellite Orbital Safety Best Practices,” to provide a foundation for discussions leading to a global consensus of behaviors for satellite operators. The guide is designed to help improve cooperative operations in space to ensure that future generations maximize the benefits of space on Earth. AIAA is providing access to download the reference guide today, in advance of a timely webinar to address the urgency of space traffic management and coordination. Industry professionals can join the authors of the document, low Earth orbit industry experts from major satellite constellation operators, to discuss its implementation:

ASCENDxSpace Traffic Management: Industry Advancing Orbital Safety
Thursday, 15 September, 1200 hrs ET USA
 Complimentary registration

This webinar will include remarks from Richard DalBello, Director, Office of Space Commerce, Department of Commerce, and Sandra Magnus, Principal, AstroPlanetview, LLC. The panel includes:

  • Matt Hejduk, Senior Project Leader, The Aerospace Corporation (Moderator)
  • John Guiney, Vice President, Fleet Operations Management, OneWeb
  • Dave Goldstein, Principal Guidance, Navigation and Control Engineer, SpaceX
  • Ryan Shepperd, Mission Planning and Orbital Analyst, Space Situational Awareness Lead, Iridium

The authors will also host a session during 2022 ASCEND, Las Vegas, 24–26 October. The panel discussion, META-07, Satellite Orbital Safety Best Practices, is the continuation of the work the group started during 2021 ASCEND to address the issue of space traffic management and coordination with meaningful actions. Registration for 2022 ASCEND is open with early bird rates effective through 9 September.

“We must face the urgent problem that tens of thousands of objects traveling at roughly 17,500 mph in low Earth orbit threaten launch vehicles, space assets, and human lives,” stated Dan Dumbacher, AIAA Executive Director. “We are pleased to facilitate these industry leaders in moving their conversation forward to publishing their ideas today, as a direct outcome of 2021 ASCEND. AIAA is committed to seeing improved space traffic management and coordination to help avoid a catastrophe in space.”

The “Satellite Orbital Safety Best Practices” reference guide outlines four points in time when operators should focus their safety planning efforts: Design Time, Pre-Launch and Early Orbit, On Orbit, and Satellite Disposal. The guidance is designed to be applicable to any satellite operator in the world, regardless of how they receive conjunction warnings.

Media contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, andInstagram.

NASA Says Falling Satellite Poses Low Risk

The AP reports an old NASA satellite – dubbed “Rhessi” – will fall to Earth Wednesday night, “but experts tracking the spacecraft say chances are low it will pose any danger.” While most of the 660-pound satellite “should burn up upon return…some parts are expected to survive.” However, NASA “said Tuesday that the reentry location is not being disclosed, given lingering uncertainty over when and where it might go down.” Still, the space agency “said in a statement the risk of anyone on Earth being harmed by plunging satellite pieces is ‘low’ – about 1-in-2,467.”
Full Story (Associated Press)

FCC Passes New Satellite Deorbiting Rule

CNN reports the Federal Communications Commission passed a new rule which forces unused satellites to be deorbited after five years of their mission ending. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said, “Twenty-five years is a long time. There is no reason to wait that long anymore, especially in low-Earth orbit.” Rosenworcel said over half of the satellites sent into orbit are now considered space junk. A released FCC document from earlier in September said, “At risk is more than the $279 billion-a-year satellite and launch industries and the jobs that depend on them. Left unchecked, orbital debris could block all of these benefits and reduce opportunities across nearly every sector of our economy.”
Full Story (CNN)

GOES-T Satellite Launched Tuesday

The Washington Post reports on Tuesday, the United States launched “its latest and greatest weather satellite, which will provide constant monitoring over the Western Hemisphere and help track fires, hurricanes, lightning, smoke plumes, coastal fog, landslides, atmospheric rivers, dust storms and more.” Some instruments will also “stare at the sun, providing data on incoming space weather that could disrupt technology on Earth.” The NOAA GOES-T launched “at 4:38 p.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.” The satellite is expected “to be fully operational by early 2023 and will oversee the U.S. West, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America and Pacific Ocean.” Pam Sullivan, system program director for the GOES-R Series Program, said in a virtual news conference, “NOAA’s geostationary satellites provide the only continuous coverage of weather and hazardous environmental conditions in the Western Hemisphere, protecting the lives and properties of the 1 billion people who live and work there.”
Full Story (Washington Post)

NOAA to Move GOES into Position Over Western United States

Space News reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “will move its next Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) weather satellite into position over the Western United States soon after launch to speed up data delivery to the National Weather Service.” After the GOES-18 satellite is deployed into geostationary transfer orbit, “the satellite will spend about three weeks moving to geostationary orbit.”
Full Story (Space News)

NOAA Releases First Imagery from GOES-18

Spaceflight Now reports that NOAA has “released the first imagery from the new GOES-18 weather satellite that launched March 1 from Cape Canaveral, and confirmed the spacecraft’s main camera doesn’t suffer the same cooling system problem that caused degraded vision in an earlier satellite.” The images were captured “May 5 from a position in geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator. GOES 18’s primary camera, called the Advanced Baseline Imager, recorded the views in 16 channels, each tuned to see clouds, dust, smoke, and water vapor in different wavelengths of light.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
 
 
 

 

 Video from NOAASatellites