SpaceNews This Week | Orbital ATK expects decision on rocket by early 2018

March 10, 2017 View this email in your browser Orbital ATK expects decision on rocket by early 2018 Jeff Foust—Orbital ATK expects a "go/no-go decision" by early next year on an Air Force-funded program to develop a new large launch vehicle. In a call with analysts March 8 to discuss the company's latest financial results, company president and chief executive Dave Thompson said the company was making good progress on initial development of a vehicle that could carry intermediate and large payloads. Bridenstine calls upon  appropriators to fund milspace, FAA commercial space office Phillip Swarts — U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine, an Oklahoma Republican who is among the leading candidates to be the next NASA administrator, called upon his fellow lawmakers March 9 to support the Pentagon as it adapts to a radically shifting landscape in orbit.Bridenstine, in appearances between two subcommittees of the House Appropriations Committee, also called on appropriators to fully fund the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Planet unveils satellite imagery online tool Debra Werner — Planet, the San Francisco startup that began building a constellation five years ago to offer frequently updated Earth imagery, took a major step towards achieving that goal March 10 when it unveiled Planet Explorer Beta, an online geospatial data tool. SN FIRST UP Satcom is our new, weekly rundown of what's happening in the satellite telecommunications industry. Every Wednesday, you will receive a handpicked selection of news and info that matters to satellite professionals.  Sign up now. Shotwell on SpaceX launch backlog: "We will definitely catch up" Caleb Henry — SpaceX intends to conduct six Falcon 9 missions this year using rocket stages that have already flown before. The first such mission, SES-10 for Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES, is scheduled to happen by the end of the month, SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said March 8 at the Satellite 2017 conference in Washington.  House passes NASA authorization bill Jeff Foust —For the first time in nearly six and a half years, Congress has passed a NASA authorization bill with the approval of such a bill March 7 in the House of Representatives. The House approved on a voice vote the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017, S.442, after a brief discussion on the House floor where no members spoke against the bill. The same bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent Feb. 17. Protecting satellites from cyber attacks isn't getting any easier Debra Werner —  Satellites service and equipment suppliers remain on high alert, watching for signs individual hackers or powerful nation states are trying to breach their network's cybersecurity. That job is becoming increasingly complex as satellite networks become an integral part of larger terrestrial networks."That is massively increasing the security landscape," Vinit Duggal, Intelsat director and chief information security officer, said March 8 at the Satellite 2017 conference in Washington. "It's not so much the threat actors that have changed, but they are getting a larger playground to play in." Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Advertise with Us | Privacy Policy | Subscribe Copyright © 2017 SpaceNews Inc., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: SpaceNews Inc. 1414 Prince St, Suite 204 Alexandria, VA 22314