SpaceNews This Week | NASA punts Resource Prospector • The Pentagon & AI • JWST's loose screws • Telesat weighs in on C-band proposal

May 4, 2018 View this email in your browser presented by NASA argues Resource Prospector no longer fit into agency's lunar exploration plans Jeff Foust, WASHINGTON — NASA says it decided to cancel a lunar rover mission last month despite a renewed focus on lunar exploration because that one-time effort did not fit into a plan that emphasizes a much higher cadence of missions, initially flown commercially. In a May 3 statement, NASA said it decided to cancel Resource Prospector, a mission still in its early phases of development to study water ice and other volatiles at the lunar poles, because it was not suited to its Exploration Campaign, NASA's concept for a series of missions that will initially use small, commercially developed landers, followed by larger landers. "This project was intended as a one-time effort to explore a specific location on the Moon, and as designed, now is too limited in scope for the agency's expanded lunar exploration focus," the agency said of Resource Prospector in a statement. "NASA's return to the Moon will include many missions to locate, extract and process elements across bigger areas of the lunar surface." More civil space headlines GAO warns of worsening cost and schedule performance on NASA programs NASA considering flight test of space nuclear reactor technology Artificial intelligence arms race accelerating in space Sandra Erwin, WASHINGTON — One of the next big things in geospatial intelligence is tiny black boxes aboard satellites that ingest massive amounts of data in space and instantly analyze it. No downloading necessary. Geospatial data manipulation and analysis in real time is the holy grail in the military intelligence business. "We are trying to help commanders 'see through the fog of data' in situations when they have to make decisions very quickly," said Melanie Stricklan, chief technology officer and co-founder of Slingshot Aerospace, in Manhattan Beach, California. Stricklan served 21 years in the U.S. Air Force, and her duties included flying in the back of the JSTARS radar surveillance plane. The airplane's sensors were pulling loads of data but it was hard to extract intelligence, she told SpaceNews. There were times when the data would be sent to analysts and it could take weeks to actually "see what we were looking at." More military space headlines Lockheed Martin prepares to turn on U.S. Air Force Space Fence on Kwajalein Atoll Pentagon ramps up artificial intelligence efforts Intelligence agencies rethinking how to buy data from new Earth imaging companies Budget addition for WGS resets debate on the future of military space communications Another way to define nuclear triad: Three legs, plus "space capability" Space Corps still an open question. A more likely prospect: U.S. Space Command Air Force confident it can build satellites faster. A bigger concern: software Sponsored Message: Maxar Technologies is a leading global provider of advanced space technology solutions, delivering unmatched capabilities in satellites, Earth imagery, geospatial data and analytics. The world's foremost businesses and governments trust Maxar Technologies and its commercial space brands (SSL, MDA, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions) to solve their most mission-critical challenges with confidence.   SpaceNews Most Read Stories   JWST suffers new problem during spacecraft testing NASA struggling to get James Webb Space Telescope across the finish line NASA considering flight test of space nuclear reactor technology Lockheed Martin prepares to turn on U.S. Air Force Space Fence on Kwajalein Atoll Air Force: It's time to pull the plug on JSTARS; Congress: Not so fast Telesat comes out against C-band proposal, girds for spectrum fight Caleb Henry, WASHINGTON — Emirati fleet operator Yahsat on April 26 said it is acquiring a majority stake in fellow Emirati operator Thuraya for an undisclosed amount. The purchase folds Thuraya's two L-band satellites into Yahsat's fleet, growing its constellation to five satellites. "The acquisition of the UAE's first home grown satellite operator, Thuraya, will significantly expand Yahsat's current satellite solutions portfolio for both commercial and government verticals, as well as its global footprint," Yahsat said in an April 26 statement. More commercial space headlines OneWeb shifts first launch to year's end Inmarsat hints at "GX Flex" next-gen satellite investment Space Council seeking to protect satellite spectrum Israel may field IAI-built satellite at Amos hotspot, Spacecom says Croatian space industry players eye European, U.S. export prospects Union recommends members reject ULA contract proposal Jeff Foust, WASHINGTON — A union representing nearly 600 United Launch Alliance employees is urging its members to reject a proposed contract in a vote this weekend, a move that could set up a strike. The negotiating committee for the Machinists Union said it unanimously rejected the proposed three-year contract presented by ULA as its best and final offer April 26. The current contract for union members expires May 6. The union, in its response to that offer, took issue with a number of its provisions, including increased health care costs and contributions to retirement plans. "By voting for this contract, you are letting ULA take away many of your benefits and future money, as well as that of future generations of Machinists," the union stated in its response. More launch industry headlines  New Shepard reaches space on eighth test flight Long March rocket launches Apstar-6C communications satellite from China Firefly Aerospace to take over Vandenberg Delta 2 pad China to test rocket reusability with planned Long March 8 launcher Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Advertise with Us | Privacy Policy | Subscribe Copyright © 2018 SpaceNews Inc., All rights reserved. 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