North America

Our Space Café “33 minutes with Michael Byers” about the International open letter "Reducing risks from uncontrolled reentries of rocket bodies and other space objects" took place on Tuesday, 3rd January 2023. Michael Byers holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia.

The Caltech Space Solar Power Project (SSPP) successfully launched a prototype into orbit atop SpaceX’s Transporter-6 mission. The Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD) will test harvesting solar power in space and then beaming the energy back to Earth, Caltech said.

Space technology company, Voyager Space, and advanced aerospace and defence solutions provider, Airbus Defence and Space, entered into a partnership to develop and operate Starlab space station. The station will serve NASA as well as a global customer base of space agencies and researchers, Voyager said.

Commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch, and data collection company, Sidus Space, has been selected by engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company, Bechtel Corporation, to manufacture cables for the NASA Mobile Launcher 2 (ML2) project, Sidus said.

Spire Global Inc., a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, has launched six satellites on the SpaceX Transporter-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The satellites will consequently demonstrate advancements and new capabilities for Spire’s weather and aviation solutions.

Viasat Inc, a global leader in satellite communications, has completed the sale of its Link 16 Tactical Data Links (TDL) business to L3Harris Technologies for approximately $1.96 billion in cash. Viasat expects the net proceeds from the sale to be approximately $1.8 billion after estimated taxes, fees, and other expenses. Furthermore, Viasat intends to use the proceeds to reduce net leverage and increase liquidity.

The Space Café Podcast #71: Joel Spark - GM Space Services at Spire, unlocking the digital frontier and the quest to build a second earth. Spire Global is a data and analytics company that uses nanosatellites to track global data sets, such as maritime, aviation, and weather patterns. It operates a fleet of over 110 CubeSats, the second-largest commercial constellation by the number of satellites, and the largest by the number of sensors.

American public Earth imaging company, Planet, is planning to launch 36 SuperDove satellites, Flock 4y, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket today, as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-6 mission. This will be the company’s eighth launch with SpaceX.

Two CubeSats are on a quest to provide insight into space weather disturbances and the subsequent impact on communication signals, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The CubeSats, the Plasma Enhancements in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere Satellite (petitSat), and Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT) arrived at the International Space Station on November 27, 2022.

President Biden has signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act into law and finalized funding for the 2023 financial year. The Act will see the disbursement of $1.7 trillion to fund the departments and agencies executing space programs. These include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), The United States Department of Defense (DOD), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The budget will run till September 30, 2023.