Outer space

Are aliens hiding in plain sight?

In July, three unmanned missions blasted off to Mars – from China (Tianwen-1), the US (Nasa’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover) and the United Arab Emirates (Hope). The Chinese and American missions have lander craft that will seek signs of current or past life on Mars. Nasa is also planning to send its Europa Clipper probe to survey Jupiter’s moon Europa, and the robotic lander Dragonfly to Saturn’s moon Titan. Both moons are widely thought to be promising hunting grounds for life in our solar system – as are the underground oceans of Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus.

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Meanwhile, we can now glimpse the chemical makeup of atmospheres of planets that orbit other stars (exoplanets), of which more than 4,000 are now known. Some hope these studies might disclose possible signatures of life.

But can any of these searches do their job properly unless we have a clear idea of what “life” is? Nasa’s unofficial working definition is “a self-sustaining chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution”. “Nasa needs a definition of life so it knows how to build detectors and what kinds of instruments to use on its missions,” says zoologist Arik Kershenbaum of the University of Cambridge. But not everyone thinks it is using the right one.

Outer space

A glimpse into the technology behind Israel’s spy satellite program

Before the break of dawn on July 6, Israel upgraded its spy satellite capabilities by a considerable degree after successfully launching the “Ofek 16” satellite into space from central Israel. The satellite is designed to boost Israel’s ability to monitor the dangerous activities of its adversaries throughout the Middle East, including Iran and Hezbollah.

Such launches would not be possible without the participation of the Manor Division of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which develops and produces space propulsion technology.

Shimshon [full name withheld], director at Space Systems in the Manor Division, gave JNS a glimpse into the little-known world of cutting-edge Israeli space technology.

“We deal mainly with two technologies for space. One is space propulsion, and the second is composite space structures [for securely affixing the satellite’s cameras],” he said.

Outer space

Space Force on alert: Behind Russia's mysterious testing of deadly anti-satellite weapons in orbit

Last week, the head of the U.S.'s newest military branch, the Space Force, cautioned publicly for the first time that Moscow had undertaken at least two concerning anti-satellite weapon tests in recent months, in a potential bid to develop on-orbit efficiency that could dangerously hinder the U.S.'s heavy dependency on space-based systems.

"On July 15, Russia injected a new object into orbit from Cosmos 2543," the U.S. Space Force said in a statement. "Russia released this object in proximity to another Russian satellite, (which was) inconsistent with the system's stated mission as an inspector satellite."

While Russia's Defense Ministry dismissed the allegation, it is not the first time the Pentagon has said such an incident occurred.

Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond, commander of U.S. Space Command and U.S. Space Force chief of space operations, further highlighted that the Russian satellite system used to conduct this on-orbit weapons test is the same onr they "raised concerns about earlier this year when Russia maneuvered near a U.S. government satellite."

Outer space

L3Harris developing a constellation of small spy satellites for U.S. Air Force

L3Harris Technologies has launched the first satellite of a remote sensing constellation it is developing for the U.S. Air Force.

In a July 6 news release, L3Harris said the constellation of small satellites will provide imagery to military operators on the ground. “The company will task, command and control the satellite system, as well as perform on-board processing of data to deliver imagery products directly to warfighters.”

Ed Zoiss, president of L3Harris Space and Airborne Systems, told SpaceNews that the company deployed the first satellite of the constellation two years after receiving a fixed-price contract from the Air Force. The program is classified, so details such as the value of the contract, the date of the launch or the vehicle that flew the satellite cannot be disclosed.

Zoiss said that despite the sensitive nature of the program, the Air Force allowed L3Harris to reveal its existence as an example of a “responsive space” system that has moved at a pace rarely seen in military space programs.

The idea of responsive space — a shift from large expensive satellites that take a decade or longer to develop to more nimble systems — has been talked about inside DoD and the intelligence community for over a decade but change has been slow, said Zoiss.

Outer space

SpaceX launches 58 more Starlink satellites in Saturday ride-share mission

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Florida in the predawn Saturday sky, just two weeks after another of the company's workhorse rockets sent NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station in SpaceX's historic first launch of humans. 

The company had followed up its astronaut launch just a few days later, with a launch of Starlink satellites, and now it's pulled off its first Starlink ride-share, carrying 58 of its own broadband satellites, along with three Earth-observing spacecraft for Planet Labs.

The mission brings the total number of Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit to more than 500, while increasing Planet's SkySat fleet to 18. SpaceX's Starlink aims to eventually include tens of thousands of orbiting routers that'll blanket the Earth in broadband internet access, while the SkySats will help Planet Labs develop imagery of the Earth's surface. 

The first stage booster had previously flown twice, both times on Dragon cargo resupply missions to the ISS. It was successfully recovered again when it landed on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean less than 10 minutes after launch.

Outer space

DARPA awards Blackjack contracts to Blue Canyon, SA Photonics

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced on June 10 it awarded Blue Canyon Technologies a $14.1 million contract for satellite buses for the Blackjack program. DARPA on June 9 also announced a $16.3 million contract award to SA Photonics for Blackjack payloads.

The Blackjack program is an experiment to show the military utility of low Earth orbit constellations and mesh networks of low-cost satellites.

Both companies already had been selected as part of a pool of Blackjack satellite bus and payload suppliers and had received study contracts. These latest contracts are to produce hardware for the demonstration.

DARPA wants to make plug-and-play satellites where new payloads can be added without having to redesign the bus. That approach would allow the military to speed up the production and lower the cost of satellites compared to traditional acquisitions of custom-built spacecraft.

Outer space

Space Plane: Mysterious US military aircraft launches

The US Air Force has successfully launched its Atlas V rocket, carrying a X-37B space plane for a secretive mission.

The rocket launched on Sunday from Cape Canaveral, a day after bad weather halted plans for a Saturday launch.

The aircraft, also known as an Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), will deploy a satellite into orbit and also test power-beaming technology.

It is the plane's sixth mission in space.

The launch was dedicated to front line workers and those affected by the pandemic. A message including the words "America Strong" was written on the rocket's payload fairing.

Outer space

These eight satellites will track hypersonic weapons

The Space Development Agency wants to put an initial batch of satellites capable of tracking hypersonic weapons on orbit in fiscal 2022, according to a draft request for proposals the agency released May 11.

The draft comes as SDA prepares to launch its first tranche of about 20 satellites in FY22, the first step toward its goal of hundreds of interconnected satellites operating in low Earth orbit. The agency is taking a spiral development approach, launching additional satellites with increasingly advanced capabilities in two-year tranches.

The second tranche, to be launched in FY24, will place 150 satellites on orbit.

According to the draft RFP, the agency wants a contractor to design and build eight Wide Field of View, or WFoV, satellites with infrared sensors capable of demonstrating an initial hypersonic weapon-tracking capability.

The eight satellites will also be able to plug into SDA’s transport layer satellites, which will establish a space-based mesh network with optical intersatellite cross links. That will allow data collected by the WFoV sensors to flow from satellite to satellite until it is disseminated over tactical data links to the appropriate system.

Outer space

DARPA to begin launching Blackjack satellites in late 2020

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to launch the first experimental satellites of the Blackjack program in late 2020 and early 2021, the agency said May 11.

DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office started the Blackjack program in 2018 to show the military utility of low Earth orbit constellations and mesh networks of low-cost satellites.

As many as 20 satellites will be launched by 2022.

The first demonstration, Mandrake 1, is a cubesat that will carry supercomputer processing chips. The second, Mandrake 2, is a pair of small satellites that will carry optical inter-satellite links for broadband data. DARPA says these could form the basis of future optically meshed networks in LEO.

A third payload scheduled to launch is called Wildcard, a software-defined radio that will experiment with links from LEO to tactical radios.

The launch dates and vehicles have not yet been decided.

Blackjack program manager Paul “Rusty” Thomas said Mandrake 1 and 2 will fly in separate launches, and there’s a possibility that Mandrake 2 and Wildcard could be on the same launch. “The program will firm up the dates once there is a clearer picture of how COVID-19 could affect upcoming launch schedules,” Thomas said in a statement.

One of the goals of the Blackjack program is to build satellites at lower cost than traditional military spacecraft by using sensors that can be mass produced to fit on many different buses from different providers for less than $2 million per payload.

Outer space

NASA mystery resolved: US Space Force finally confirm secret groundbreaking military test

The X-37B has prompted wild speculation for a decade, following its shadowy missions into space where the spacecraft orbits the Earth for years. The mysterious space plane's mission to date has remained classified, with the US Space Force even refusing to discuss the craft. However ahead of its next launch, on May 16th, the US Air & Space Force has finally disclosed parts of the plane's covert mission.

According to the US military, the secretive X-37B will carry out research on space radiation and microwave energy.

It will also carry out tests that experts believe could eventually allow drones to stay aloft indefinitely anywhere in the world.

This marks the first time a US officials has revealed mission details of the X-37B ahead of an orbital flight.

The officials explained that the X-37B will carry payloads to convert the sun's energy into radio frequency microwave energy so it can be sent back to Earth.

Outer space

Space bombshell: China takes huge step towards human Moon landing

A Long March 5B launched the spacecraft on Tuesday which descend with three parachutes. Airbags were deployed to further cushion the landing. The new spacecraft is partially reusable, designer Guo Bin told CCTV: “We designed a foldable shield.

“During the flight, when the spacecraft needs docking with the space station, the shield will spread out, exposing the rendezvous and docking mechanism and sensor.”

According to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the reentry speed was greater than 9km/s.

The 67 hour mission was designed to test deep space capabilities, according to Space News.

A 20 metric ton core stage - an external unit - remains in orbit and should make an uncontrolled re-entry on Sunday due to atmospheric drag.

Outer space

Solar slingshot could help spacecraft intercept interstellar objects

An MIT research proposal outlines a new method for rendezvousing with interstellar objects (ISOs) like ‘Oumuamua using a solar slingshot technique. By using solar sails to position deep-space probes on the edge of the solar system, the idea is to use the gravitational pull of the Sun to accelerate the spacecraft and set it on an intercept course with an interstellar visitor.

When 'Oumuamua passed by in 2017, it was a truly historic event. For the first time, an object from interstellar space was detected entering the solar system. Traveling on a hyperbolic trajectory, it flew through the inner system before returning to the outer darkness, never to return. As it did so, observatories around the world focused on the object, giving scientists their first close-up glimpse at something that didn't originate in our system.

However, a glimpse was all they had time for. Ideally, a long, leisurely look would have been preferable, but there wasn't any time to even plan a mission to send a spacecraft to visit 'Oumuamua – much less launch one. Worse, such a mission would have faced major technical challenges. Not the least of which being the requirement of a massive rocket to reach the needed velocity to overtake the object.

Outer space

Space: Elusive Enigma Flies Again

The U.S. Air Force X-37B UOV (unmanned orbital vehicle) is scheduled to go into space for the sixth time in mid-May, seven months after the other X-37B returned from its last, and longest (25.5 months) mission. The X-37B has been doing this for a decade now, going into orbit for the first time in April 2010, for over seven months. Each subsequent launch (March 2011, December 2012, May 2016 and September 2017) kept the X-37B in orbit longer (225 days then 469, 675, 718 and 780). There are actually two X-37B “space planes” so they are not putting the same one back into orbit soon after it returns.

One unanswered question is; what does X-37B do up there? The X-37B operations are classified secret and little information about what happens in orbit is released. The most recent X-37B mission caused a problem when the air force mentioned that the X-37B had carried and released three cubesats (very small satellites) that were not registered with the UN.

Outer space

The U.S. Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Could Soon Leave Earth for 2 Years

The U.S. Air Force is getting ready to launch its sixth mission with the mysterious X-37B space plane. If history is any guide, space mission OTV-6 could last as long as two years.

OTV stands for “Operational Test Vehicle.” Officially, the Air Force deploys the 29-feet-long X-37B robotic mini-shuttle to test out new technology. But it’s obvious that the Boeing-made space plane is capable of much more than that.

Indeed, the X-37B seems to have a lot in common with some of the latest Chinese and Russian space weapons.

OTV-6 is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on May 16, 2020. The unmanned X-37B de-orbits on its own and lands like an airplane.

Outer space

Iran-launched military satellite entered Earth's orbit, US Space Command announces

Earlier Wednesday, Iran said it launched a military satellite into orbit amid wider tensions with the U.S., a successful launch after months of failures.

“Iran’s first military satellite, Noor, was launched this morning from central Iran in two stages. The launch was successful and the satellite reached orbit,” Iranian state TV reported, according to Reuters.

The U.S. State Department and the Pentagon both say such launches advance Iran’s ballistic missile program.

On its official website, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said the satellite successfully reached an orbit of 264 miles above the Earth's surface.

The two-stage satellite launch took off from Iran’s Central Desert, the Revolutionary Guard said, without elaborating. The paramilitary force said it used a Ghased, or “messenger,” satellite carrier to put the device into space, a previously unheard-of system.

Outer space

SPACE FORCE UNVEILS ITS FIRST WEAPON, A SATELLITE JAMMER

The U.S. Space Force recently acquired its first offensive weaponry: a device capable of blocking satellite communications, temporarily rendering orbiting satellites useless.

The technology behind these Counter Communications Systems, as they’re called, has already existed for years, Interesting Engineering reports, but the devices were only delivered to the military last month. With them, the U.S. can now disable enemy satellites from the ground.

While these weapons are new for the U.S. military, they had already been deployed elsewhere. For instance, Popular Mechanics reports that Russia’s military has had similar weapons in place since 2019.

And while the technical details of how the jammers work are kept under wraps, PopMech reports that there have been at least 13 similar systems up and running around the world back in 2017.

Outer space

This is what the Space Force will use to jam enemy satellites

Shrouded in secrecy, the Counter Communications System is the tool the U.S. Space Force will use to jam adversaries’ communications in a conflict.

“It’s a deployable system basically for counter communications. Think of it as a platform that various custom missions run on,” said Praveen Kurian, general manager of L3Harris’ space control division. “It doesn’t permanently damage [targets], right? You’re talking about reversibly denying communications, and then when you shut down your system, you’re back to being able to operate.”

America’s newest armed service got an updated version of the system — Block 10.2 — in March, but a leaner, more capable generation is already in the works.

When CCS Block 10.2 achieved initial operating capability March 9, the Space Force hailed the system as its first offensive weapon system; the first generation of the system was delivered to the military in 2004. The former Harris Corporation was a contributor to that system, said Kurian, and now L3Harris has been the primary contractor to the two major upgrades to the system since then — first, Block 10.1 and now Block 10.2.

Outer space

Astra came close to achieving what DARPA has sought for two decades

On Monday, Astra came within 53 seconds of launching its Rocket 3.0 from a spaceport in southern Alaska. With less than a minute to go in the countdown, a sensor delivered some data about the rocket that Astra's chief executive, Chris Kemp, said "really concerned us."

Despite the prospect of losing out on a $2 million check from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and potentially $10 million more later this month, Astra engineers halted the launch attempt. They thought the problem may lie with a faulty sensor, as bad data was intermittent, but they weren't sure.

"By making the decision to not fly today, we’ll have the opportunity to fly this rocket safely at a later date," Kemp said. He said the company is likely "weeks" away from trying again rather than months.

The DARPA Launch Challenge—which sought to demonstrate flexible and responsive launch capabilities in days, not years, for national defense—gave Astra essentially a month's notice to prepare a rocket and launch it from Alaska. The company moved quickly, shipping its small booster to the launch site and setting up the location in less than two weeks. A combination of poor weather over the weekend and the technical issue on Monday scuttled the chance. "We were very sorry not to hand over a big check today," said Todd Master, manager of the launch challenge for DARPA.

The failure to launch Monday does not diminish what Astra accomplished. The privately-backed venture from Alameda, California, was the last company left standing in a competition with 18 teams that originally qualified.

Outer space

Rocket glitch fixed, Russia launches satellite to enhance military communications

Russia successfully launched a military communications satellite into orbit Thursday (Feb. 20). The launch took place about one month later than planned due to a technical issue.

A Soyuz-2.1a rocket blasted off at 3:24 a.m. EST (0824 GMT or 11:24 a.m. Moscow time) from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, according to Russian space agency Roscosmos.

"The launch of the launch vehicle, and the launch of the satellite into the calculated orbit, took place as usual," Roscosmos said in a statement, which was translated into English using translation software. 

....Meridian M is supposed to help ships and reconnaissance aircraft communicate along the northern sea region of Russia, as well as help expand satellite communications stations in more remote regions in Siberia and the Far East, Roscosmos added.

This is the first Soyuz-2 rocket family launch of 2020 from Plesetsk. In late December, a Rockot booster converted from an intercontinental ballistic missile successfully launched from Plesetsk, with three Gonets-M communications satellites on board. Rockot may also have carried a military payload, called Blits-M, that is meant to reflect lasers, according to industry-monitoring website RussianSpaceWeb.com. 

Outer space

Space Force says Russian satellites are following American satellite

Russian satellites have been exhibiting the "unusual and disturbing behavior" of following a US satellite in orbit, according to the commander of the Space Force, the newest military service.

"Last November the Russian government launched a satellite that subsequently released a second satellite," US Space Command Commander and the Space Force's Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond said in a statement Monday.

"These satellites have been actively maneuvering near a U.S. government satellite and behaving similar to another set of satellites that Russia deployed in 2017, and which the Russian government characterized as 'inspector satellites.' "

Raymond's comments mark the first substantive statement from the Space Force and come as the US has become increasingly concerned about what adversaries are doing in space -- one of the reasons why the US launched the new military branch, the first new military service since 1947, in December. The Trump administration requested $18 billion for the Space Force and other space activities on Monday as part of its Pentagon budget.