Rookbridge’s Post

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has brought together two EU Member States to develop a satellite demonstrator that can manoeuvre from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) – and back again. The €10 million project – called LEO2VLEO: Military Crisis-Response Satellite Constellation – with the Netherlands and Austria, will design, develop, launch and operate a constellation of between two and four satellites. It aims for a space launch in two years time. In this innovative approach to space, the project will, once operational, have the capability to support military operations. The project was signed on 19 January 2024 between the Netherlands, Austria, and EDA. It was signed in EDA’s Capability Technology Area (CapTech) Space, which helped bring the two countries together for this collaborative project. EDA will support the project throughout. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dAzz9Hs6 #EUspace #EUdefence #defence #space #industry #technology #EDA #Europe #EU #satelite

This is probably the next frontier in human space endeavors - threat response from armed satellites and from surface to space missiles. Seems like step 1 of 2000 towards a Star Wars type retaliation around a planet. We will have to wait and see if this will sustain or pan out. Not sure how much risk is involved in insuring commercial satellites if such threat response becomes frequent in the future. #space #satellites #starwars #insurance

Space Force Program update; Raytheon out - Boeing dominates MEO/Middle Earth Orbit Missile detection & tracking program. quote "Boeing-subsidiary Millennium Space Systems received a contract at the same time as Raytheon in 2021, to design six satellites for the constellation. In June 2023, L3Harris became the third vendor for Epoch 1 when the Space Force awarded it a one-year contract for sensor payload design. The service announced in November that the six satellites from Millennium passed space system critical design review, and the SSC spokesperson noted the company also achieved CDR for its ground segments in March. In addition, L3Harris completed critical design review for its infrared sensor payload design" end-quote. quote "In total, House appropriators allocated $750 million in research and development dollars for the MEO MW/MT program. The Space Force had originally asked for $846 million in its budget request for fiscal 2025." end-quote. #defense, #idf, #pentagon, #budget, #finance, #washingtondc, #startups, #virginia, #ai, #machinelearning, #israel, #switzerland, #investments, #gold, #old, #money, #northropgrumman, #boeing, #raytheon Ref -

Launches Europe made it! https://lnkd.in/dkgZazfn Regarding accessible Launches for Arianespace, it is very interesting that one Satcom and one commercial EO were launched by Space x in Q2/24, because the 3 DoD and 3 Gov missions would not have been an option for non US Launch provider . As for the reusability of the first stage, it has been shown that with about 15 launches/year this really makes economic sense. So the design of Ariane 6 with approx. 10 launches per year makes perfect sense. https://lnkd.in/deRvZdvy

Europe flew its first Ariane 6 rocket from French Guiana on Tuesday, on a mostly successful mission. While rocket reached orbit and deployed nine ride-share satellites, the upper stage shut down almost immediately for the final manuever: a deorbit burn to bring stage on a destructive reentry, and to release two reentry test vehicles. The launch nevertheless for Europe to resume launching its payloads on its own vehicles, after an unexpected gap in launch capability. The gap was due to a delay between Ariane 5 and 6, failures of the Vega light launch vehicle, and the end of Russian Soyuz flights from French Guiana due to the war with Ukraine. https://lnkd.in/e53wjA78

The latest Eurospace report reveals that recent growth in the #space sector is largely driven by #SpaceX and Chinese programs, with Europe's industry lagging behind due to declining commercial demand and limited #military investment. Despite the recent Ariane 6 launch, which may boost Europe’s space capabilities, the sector remains under pressure. For a detailed look at these trends and their implications, read the full article: https://lnkd.in/duJKawQ8

National Spaceport Policy Needs to Launch Now  Federal #spaceport policy continues to move at the speed of bureaucracy. Looming overhead are Russia’s near-term threat to #satellite operations and China’s slow and steady progress to build a sustained presence beyond Earth orbit with the specter to conduct operations in cis-lunar #orbit and on the surface of the #Moon. Neither is to be trifled with despite the paradox between Russia’s potential to remove LEO for use in short order and China’s growing need of LEO for its #military operations.     In the U.S., commercial #launch activities are going to surge over the next three years with Blue Origin, Relativity Space, and Rocket Lab introducing reusable orbital launch vehicles (LVs); SpaceX starting operation of its second-generation reusable LV Starship and the small launch sector sorts itself out between ABL Space Systems, Firefly Aerospace, Rocket Lab, and some others.   Read the whole article by Doug Mohney at 👉 https://lnkd.in/eXWjN7N5 #spacecom #Commerciallaunch #spaceeconomy #spacetransportation #spaceports

It is important that #spaceport policy get updated quickly. At the rate of commercial space, more facilities and new legislation are needed. Where would we be with 13 airports in the entire U.S.? https://lnkd.in/e-QZbdQ8

Should there be a more significant investment in diversifying launch sites beyond the Cape and Vandenberg? Or is the immediate focus better placed on enhancing existing facilities to handle higher traffic? Either way, how the U.S. balances immediate needs with long-term infrastructure development will be critical to our national security and our way of life.

On April 7, 2024, India celebrated a major milestone for the private space industry. SpaceX Falcon 9 during the Bandwagon-1 Mission, launched from Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida (USA), successfully launched and deployed the Made-in-India Earth-Imaging military satellite TSAT-1A at 23:16 UTC by TATA Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for Earth Observation (EO). The TSAT-1A, weighing 50 kg, has been meticulously crafted, assembled, and tested at the Tata Vemgal Facility, Karnataka. Positioned in low-earth orbit, this satellite boasts remarkable capabilities, including sub-metre-resolution and rapid data transfer properties, facilitating highly detailed image production. These features render it immensely valuable for defence and strategic applications. TASL, a subsidiary of Tata Sons, stands as a key contender in aerospace and defence solutions in collaboration with the leader in sub-metre-resolution EO data collection, Satellogic Inc. The collaboration signed in November 2023 encompasses a focus on the development and integration of an advanced earth observation satellite, underscoring India’s growing prowess in space technology. Authored by Jaypal Kalra for the Covering ISRO. #isro #tata #tsat #space #aerospace #spacex #elonmusk #elon #falcon9 #rocket #military #satellite #earth #science