| | | | |  Jeff Foust, WASHINGTON —Virgin Orbit announced Nov. 16 that it has received its first launch contract for a LauncherOne mission from a Defense Department agency.
The company said the U.S. Air Force's Space Test Program partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) to make the launch award to Virgin Orbit through an other transactions agreement. The launch will carry a selection of Space Test Program payloads to be chosen closer to launch.
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| | |  Sandra Erwin, WASHINGTON — The Air Force says it has an "unusual and compelling urgency" to develop a new missile warning satellite system. The Air Force issued a "sources sought" notice Wednesday for the follow-on to the Space Based Infrared System, with companies given less than 24 hours to register for an industry day scheduled for Tuesday. The announcement puzzled many in industry, who couldn't reconcile the urgency of the announcement with a statement in the announcement that the follow-on system wouldn't be deployed until 2029. [SpaceNews]
| | |  Caleb Henry, WASHINGTON — Satellite fleet operator SES, the industry partner whose support Intelsat and Intel need the most for their proposal to open C-band the U.S. has designated for satellites to 5G wireless networks hungry for more spectrum, is willing to go along with the plan, but with one major caveat: not the whole band.
In a statement provided to SpaceNews, SES spokesperson Markus Payer said SES is "open to exploring any approach to a joint use of C-band only if it meets two essential criteria: it must create appropriate financial incentives to justify the extremely high cost of such an approach, and it must ensure that we can continue to deliver services to our customers without any disruption."
SES believes that "we cannot achieve this unless we open only a limited portion of the respective band," he said. Satellite operators in the U.S. have access to 500 MHz of C-band, from 3.7 to 4.2 GHz.
| | | Jeff Foust, WASHINGTON — San Francisco-based Spire Global announced it will establish a European headquarters in Luxembourg that will support engineering, data analytics and business development work. In turn, Luxembourg Future Fund (LFF) will invest in Spire as part of a $70 million Series C round Spire plans to close by the end of the month.
In a statement, Peter Platzer, chief executive of Spire, said the funding will help the company grow its capabilities to analyze ship-tracking and weather data from its constellation of cubesats. "As Spire reaches its next stage, scaling our talented teams becomes the key challenge," he said. | | | Sandra Erwin, WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON — The military space business is stuck in its old ways and missing a "golden opportunity" to capture the energy of a rejuvenated commercial industry, said a former White House space and aviation technology adviser who is now a top official at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
"Our savior is going to be the commercial sector," said Fred Kennedy, director of DARPA's Tactical Technology Office, who took his new post in September after serving as deputy director since January. Some pockets within the military are moving in that direction, but not soon enough. "We're starting to see an influx of commercial technology, but we need more of it, and quick." | | | Jeff Foust, WASHINGTON — An agreement to do engine testing at a NASA center is the latest sign that Stratolaunch is considering developing its own launch vehicle for its giant aircraft.
The Space Act Agreement between Stratolaunch and NASA's Stennis Space Center, signed Sept. 13, covers "reimbursable testing and related support services to Stratolaunch to support propulsion, vehicle, and ground support system development and testing activities."
An annex to that umbrella agreement specifies that it involves "testing of its propulsion system test article element 1" at Stennis's E1 test stand. That facility has supported engine tests by a number of companies in the past under similar agreements that provide access to test stands there on a non-exclusive basis. | | | Jeff Foust, WASHINGTON — Executives with Sierra Nevada Corporation said Nov. 13 they believed the recent glide flight of a Dream Chaser test article was successful and they won't need to fly that vehicle again.
In a conference call with reporters, company officials said the Nov. 11 flight of the Dream Chaser engineering test article at Edwards Air Force Base went as expected. In that flight, the lifting-body vehicle was released from a helicopter at an altitude of about 3,750 meters and glided to a runway landing 60 seconds later, reaching a top speed of 530 kilometers per hour during its descent. | | | Sandra Erwin, WASHINGTON — The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded BAE Systems a contract worth up to $12.8 million to develop a digital lab to help U.S. military commanders prepare for combat in outer space, the company announced Nov. 14.
The task is to create a virtual space-battle zone so U.S. military leaders can better understand the space environment and the potential threats. | | | Caleb Henry, WASHINGTON — British small satellite manufacturer Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) is selling off its U.S. factory to General Atomics, a defense contractor with a growing interest in building military-optimized spacecraft.
SSTL and General Atomics announced in separate statements Nov. 13 that the facility and accompanying workforce at SST-US's Englewood, Colorado location will become part of the San Diego, California company's Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS). Neither company disclosed the financial terms of the transaction. | | 
Note: SpaceNews This Week will not publish Friday, Nov. 24 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. We'll be back on Friday, Dec. 1. | | | | | | |
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