Mantis Society Study Center: SNTW | SpaceX, OneWeb detail constellation plans to Congress

Friday, October 27, 2017

SNTW | SpaceX, OneWeb detail constellation plans to Congress

October 27, 2017

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SpaceX, OneWeb detail constellation plans to Congress

Caleb Henry, WASHINGTON — SpaceX and OneWeb say they are within months of launching the first satellites in their competing megaconstellations of broadband smallsats designed to bring internet to every corner of the globe.

Testifying before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Oct. 25, executives from SpaceX and One web provided updates on their constellation deployment, as well as steps they've taken to mitigate the risk of space debris from thousands of satellites they aim to deploy into low Earth orbit in the years ahead.

SpaceX vice president of satellite government affairs Patricia Cooper said the company's first two prototype satellites will launch "within the next few months" to validate in-house technology ahead of an operational launch campaign in 2019.

Virgin signs agreement with Saudi Arabia for billion-dollar investment

Jeff Foust, HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Virgin Group announced Oct. 26 an agreement with Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund for an investment of $1 billion into Virgin's suborbital and orbital space ventures.

The non-binding memorandum of understanding between the Virgin Group and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia covers a partnership whereby the fund will take a "significant" stake in Virgin Galactic, Virgin Orbit and The Spaceship Company for $1 billion, with an option for $480 million in future investment in the companies.

The companies did not disclose when the non-binding agreement would become a binding investment. Ollie Pratt, a spokesman for the Virgin Group, did not disclose the size of the stake PIF was taking but that Virgin would remain the majority shareholder in the companies.

Top Pentagon contractors keen on space business

Sandra Erwin, WASHINGTON — Just three weeks after hosting the first meeting of the National Space Council, Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Denver Thursday and made plans to stop by Lockheed Martin's facilities where satellites and other space hardware are built.

According to his official schedule, Pence was there to check out NASA's InSight Mars lander spacecraft, the collaborative human innovation laboratory and the Air Force's next generation GPS 3 satellites.

Pence is the face of the Trump administration's push to "lead in space again," giving the industry a confidence boost and a show of political support for U.S. space programs even if the budgetary outlook remains murky.

Top defense firms with large space portfolios like Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman are likely to benefit as space increasingly is viewed as a "contested environment" where the United States will be challenged by rising powers. Military contractors see new business opportunities and are positioning to compete as the market continues to be reshaped by commercial players.

Tom Choi steps down from ABS CEO position

Caleb Henry, WASHINGTON — Tom Choi is leaving his position as CEO of ABS, a satellite fleet operator he co-founded in 2005.

In a post to the professional networking website LinkedIn, Choi said he will continue on the Bermuda-based company's board of directors, but will transition out of his current role.

European space officials outline desired contribution to Deep Space Gateway

Tereza Pultarova, BREMEN, Germany – Europe's aerospace industry is getting ready for NASA's proposed Deep Space Gateway, hoping Europe will have its own module at the lunar-orbit space station resupplied by a European transportation system.

During a session on the final day of Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen, Germany, Frederic Masson, an engineer at French space agency CNES, said France is already considering ways to increase performance of the upcoming Ariane 6 launcher to make it fit to contribute to humankind's next big space endeavor.

GRACE mission comes to an end

Jeff Foust, WASHINGTON — An Earth science mission launched more than 15 years ago has finally come to an end, slightly earlier than previously expected, NASA announced Oct. 27.

In a statement, NASA said the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission, carried out in cooperation with the German space agency DLR, had ended science operations after the retirement of one of its twin spacecraft.

Yahsat satellite delay punts Eutelsat's Konnect Africa growth to 2019

Caleb Henry, WASHINGTON — Delays with Yahsat's Al Yah 3 satellite, now more than a year past its initial launch target, have forced Eutelsat Communications to hold off on expanding its Konnect Africa broadband business until next year.

More than three quarters of the capacity for the new business venture is hedged on Al Yah 3, Eutelsat CEO Rodolphe Belmer told investors Oct. 26, leaving the company with too little capacity to otherwise jump start the business.

Air Force Vice Chief Wilson: Weaponizing data is the next big target

Sandra Erwin, WASHINGTON — Elon Musk's Tesla has turned its fleet of electric cars into an information network that is drawing envy from the Pentagon.

Tesla vehicles share data seamlessly in real time, enabling self-driving and also giving human drivers and engineers valuable intelligence about everything from road conditions to component malfunctions. "Why can't we do that with our Humvees, our airplanes or our space vehicles?" asked Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson.