Terran Orbital unveils seven new satellite buses, the Aelous satellite falling to its fiery death, the US Space Force eyeing partnerships for tactical satellite communications, and so much more!
Terran Orbital, which pioneered the creation of CubeSat standards over a decade ago, is now establishing new benchmarks for satellite technology for the coming decade. The company's new standards are built upon its manufacturing capabilities and feature components and modules that can be readily swapped out to accommodate different bus sizes and configurations.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has released final images of its wind-measuring Aeolus spacecraft ahead of its fiery descent into the atmosphere. The images show how Aeolus began to tumble as it interacted with the Earth's atmosphere at near orbital speed. Aeolus was the first ever satellite to track terrestrial winds, providing data for climate studies and meteorology. It was also the first spacecraft to attempt an "assisted reentry," with the satellite commanded to use its remaining fuel to progressively lower its orbit and then be passivated (or turned off).
Breaking Defense | Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. | 09-08-2023
The State Department's bureau for cyber policy is working on a new strategy for international cooperation against cyber threats. The strategy will build on the National Cybersecurity Strategy released by the White House in May. The new strategy will focus on building coalitions to counter cyber threats, strengthening friendly countries' capabilities for cyber defense, and defending complex, globe-spanning supply chains for technology.
SpiderOak, a cybersecurity company, has successfully demonstrated its OrbitSecure technology on the International Space Station (ISS). The demonstration involved sending and receiving secure operations traffic between the ground and LEO. The demo was conducted using Amazon Web Services' (AWS) Snowcone edge computing device and NASA's Tracking and Data Relay System (TDRS). SpiderOak said the demonstration validates the potential of containerized workloads in a space environment and lays the groundwork for orbital data centers.
L3Harris has contracted Firefly Aerospace to launch three satellites into Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) in 2026. The launches will be conducted from Firefly's launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The satellites are being built by L3Harris to support the U.S. government's responsive space needs.
Globalstar has contracted SpaceX to launch Apple-backed satellites in 2025 to replenish its low Earth orbit (LEO) connectivity constellation. Apple has agreed to reimburse Globalstar for 95% of the constellation, including manufacturing and launch costs. The new network will be used to upgrade satellite services launched last year for Apple's latest iPhone, which can connect with one of Globalstar's 24 existing satellites for emergency services when cell towers are out of reach.
The Space Force is modernizing its tactical satellite communications infrastructure with a new program called PATS. PATS is designed to be interoperable with international partners, and the Space Force is working to establish the necessary agreements and certifications. The first step in the interoperability process is the Protected Tactical Waveform, which will provide secure communication over a mix of government and commercial satellites. The Space Force is also working to collaborate with international partners on the development of the Protected Tactical SATCOM satellite network. Space Force is calling this approach "Allied by Design," and it is a shift from the traditional model of the U.S. building and sharing satellite capabilities with its allies.
The United States and its allies are increasingly reliant on space-based capabilities for national security. Proliferated LEO (pLEO) constellations are part of a DoD strategy to provide additional resilience for satellite communications (SATCOM) by diversifying orbits. Viasat has been awarded a contract to provide pLEO satellite-based services to the DoD. Viasat will use smallsat technology, reduced costs, and increased launch service competition to provide a reliable, resilient, low-latency global pLEO offering.
